Canvas
by Kuroi-Urufu
Summary: Sasuke is a sadist, rapist and a murderer but he prefers to call himself an artist. Naruto considered himself a lucky person until Sasuke decided he would be his living canvas. One day Naruto gets to know how it feels like to run for his life. Sasunaru
1. You belong to me

Ok this is the first angst story I'm doing, but beware there will be rape so if anyone feels uncomfortable with it, then just feel free to abandon this story. Oh and also as for why I was 'dead' for such a long time I dunno but something weird happened to my account and I didn't even get all your wonderful reviews so right now I'm working on some updates again.

Chapter 1 You belong to me

While walking down an empty street in the middle of the night, Naruto decided that he may finally consider himself a lucky guy, no, actually the happiest man on earth. It's not that he had just found out that he was a millionaire, on the contrary, sometimes it was hard for him to manage the payment for an upcoming rent. He still lived with his father Arashi, but he wasn't ashamed of that, actually he loved his dad dearly and wouldn't mind if it always stayed like that, the two of them living together. After all Naruto had a very special bond with his father, or so he liked to call it. When he was still very young his mother, after giving birth to him, divorced his father. She said it was because he changed, but the fact was that the one who really changed was his mother and the reason for that was the lack of money. Like every normal child Naruto started to blame himself for his father loneliness and for the fact that they had barely enough money to afford living. But soon he came to realize that it was rather his mother's crude character, rather than his existence, that had brought his father to the edge. In fact if it wasn't for Naruto, as Arashi always says, he would have never survived all those years. And so the kind hearted man worked extra hard just so that his son would have a good education and a secure future, not like his own.

Currently Naruto was nineteen years old and he decided it was high time to return the favor. He decided the after ending High School he would find a job that would pay him enough so that he will be able to afford both his and his father expenses. Naruto didn't regret not going to a University even if his dad wanted him to do so. After all the blonde was never one to study hard, he always favored action in stead of, as he liked to say, the brain washing process of learning. So what if he could get a degree, he didn't care as long as he was able to find a good enough job to allow him and his father to live happily with a sufficient amount of money.

And just this week he had managed to achieve his goal, he not only found a job that would pay him enough, but he also actually enjoyed the concept of it. So now he was to become a martial arts teacher, something he liked from when he was still a child. To tell the truth at first glance no one ever gave him credit for being a good athlete or what's more a good fighter, and the reason behind that were his looks. It's not that Naruto didn't have the needed masculinity it was just that he was… well, rather feminine looking and his true strength never showed off due to his appearance. Still the blonde was never one to give up, that's why he proved to everyone that doubted his capabilities, just how wrong they were in assessing his strength. And this time too he managed to do that, earning himself a job he could only dream of having.

But that wasn't everything that made Naruto feel so special tonight, to feel that he was the luckiest man on the surface of the earth. No, there was a second blessing in his day and it's name was Haruno Sakura. The pink haired girl always held a special spot in his heart from the very first time they had mate. In Naruto's opinion it was love at first sight and he did everything humanly possible to make those feeling be mutual. Luckily it did not prove to be so hard because Sakura, as apprehensive as she might be at the beginning, soon found out that Naruto was actually a decent guy. Not only that she started to discover his qualities one after the other and soon was very much in love with the blonde haired man. And Sakura was not a woman that would make rash decisions, if any, she was always a down to earth person thinking about the pros and cons of every decision she was about to make. No wonder she was good enough to acquire enough points in the final exams to start up a medical school, as she had always dreamed to become a doctor.

So yes, once again Naruto remembered just how lucky he was as of today he got the best job ever and also his love decided to officially date him. Maybe for someone else those would not be good enough reasons to call oneself the luckiest man on earth, but for Naruto they definitely were. That's why right now he was making his way towards his home, crossing the empty streets as it was well after midnight. He was just returning from a congratulation party to which his friends invited him after hearing the good news. Although Naurto was seen as a very social person, he only had a small group of friends on which he relied on and who always were there for him if he needed a helping hand. The group consisted of three people: Sai, Gaara and Kiba. Of course each of them had their flaws but who hasn't? So all four of them decided to celebrate at a night club in the town center. Luckily Naruto hadn't drank all that much because otherwise he would have problems finding his way home, after all it's just as his father often said 'I like people, I like talking to them and I like alcohol but when given in big amounts they all become quite scary'.

So while Naruto was happily making his way down a busy street, with a huge grin plastered on his face he suddenly heard a noise behind him, something close to a rustle. He quickly turned around but as he saw nothing he decided that it was either wind or simply his imagination playing tricks on him.

"Stupid, you're a man what are you afraid off." He said to himself teasingly, though the fact was that the only times he spoke to himself out loud was when he was scared and wanted to reassure himself that everything was all right. It was as if hearing his own voice collide with the overwhelming yet terrifying silence gave him courage.

He made just a few steps when suddenly he heard another sound, yet this one was far more disturbing than the rustle. He heard footsteps, someone was slowly walking behind him with sure, even strides. _Ok _Naruto thought_probably it's just another man coming back from a club or something why the sudden fear? It's not as if I'm the only normal guy who can walk the streets at night. _But just as in all those films he had seen on television, he could not escape the dreadful though of 'what if'. So _what if_ the person walking behind him had some cruel intentions. _What if_ he wanted to rob him? Well he was a martial art teacher now so one man should not be a problem for him, then again _what if_ the person had a gun or even a knife? In such circumstances it would be far more dangerous to fight a man with a weapon. But ok even if it was true he would simply abide to his will and give him his money or what not. So having that '_what if_' out of the question it was always the second '_what if_', the one that no one normally believes in until it actually happens, the lot more horrifying possibility of the stalker being a rapist, or what's worse a murderer… though actually both were equally dreadful.

Naruto decided to slowly turn around and hope that upon seeing the person he would actually discover it was only a cute girl making her way back home. But this time Naruto could no longer call himself lucky as he saw a tall, dark haired man walking behind him. And it wasn't even the scary part, what really made his heart pound furiously in his chest, was the fact that the man had something that covered his face, he didn't know what it was, whether a simple scarf or some sort of a weird mask, either way it was very unsettling. Would any normal person cover his face like that? Naruto wanted to run, actually he wanted to sprint but he was still somewhere between not believing the whole situation and simply feeling stupid to run all of a sudden. Wasn't it ridiculous, for humans to prevent themselves from doing things that were inappropriate even when faced with a potentially dangerous situation? And also there was this other cliché thing of not believing that certain things could ever happen to us, such as being murdered or raped. It's true we hear things like that on the news, listen to our parents patronizing us about the dangers of life which we usually ignore, or hear it happen to someone, but we never believe that something like that could happen to us unless we're faced with it, and then it's already too late.

Naruto finally decided that he would run, just a few steps pretending he was hurrying somewhere in order to check the reaction of the man who might be following him. And so he did he started running slowly down the streets casually taking a look behind him to check whether everything was indeed in perfect order. But what he saw after he turned around made his heart froze, the man was running after him, increasing in speed with every step. Naruto panicked - in all his life he never felt such paralyzing fear as in that moment. He still could not quite comprehend the seriousness of the whole situation, though one thing he knew for sure, that no matter what he had to run, run as fast as he could for he was running for his life.

Always when he saw a horror movie he wondered whether at a time like this, when your life was at stake, the will to save yourself gave you extra strength. But now he knew that it was quite the opposite, in fact being fully aware of the fact that behind you there's a person who's set on taking away your life, you become completely helpless. It's as if you're paralyzed and all your strength was torn away from you by the mere though of being attacked by someone.

And so Naruto almost tripped but managed to keep himself on his legs, still running forward, not even realizing in what direction he was heading. Tears started to pour down his face as he couldn't even yell for help, he felt like he was trapped in his own body and there was no one there that could save him. He was all alone and could only rely on himself, but even that was failing him as a thought _I'm not gonna make it, this is the end, no one makes it out _kept recurring in his head like an evil mantra taking away the last bits of sanity and will of survival he had. The effort was futile.

He heard that the man running after him was getting closer and closer whereas he could barely run, tripping by each step he made. But then he remembered the face of his father and how heartbroken he would be if he got to know his son's life was ended like this. Funny how in such moments we have thoughts we never thought would occur. Still this gave Naruto the will not to give up. For a moment he was ready to simply stop and let the man do whatever he wanted to only hoping that it would be quick and not painful. But now he changed his mind, after thinking about his father he decided that even if he was to loose he will not give up like that. He will not have a grudge against himself for not fighting till the end like he always did in his life. So he ran further, he didn't even know how long he was running when suddenly out of the stress and tiredness he tripped over his own legs and fell, his body trembling in sobs that never came through his throat, that never surfaced.

He felt the hopelessness of the of the situation and knew from the very beginning that if he was to trip, he would not be able to stand up. He felt a hand harshly grabbing his arm, his trembling form still for a moment as he looked in the eyes of his oppressor. They were dark as night and the general appearance of the man made it possible to assess that he was young probably around twenty six years old. But that didn't make Naruto delusional as to his fate, since from the moment he saw those eyes he knew the man was possessed, possessed with hatred, lust, anger everything Naruto was not, everything he feared.

The blonde tried to regain his senses. After all he still had some chances, he just had to find the strength and fight back, just as he did in his martial lessons. Thus he lifted his hand clutching his fingers into a fist, aiming for the mans face. But he knew he was to weakened by his fear, but most of all by the scrutinizing gaze and the aura of the other man - they were devilish to say the least. Naruto's feeble attempt at protecting himself was futile as his captor had easily foreseen his attack and instead gave one of his one. Naruto was too confused to realize what was happening, the last thing he remember was something hard and sharp hitting the back of his head and then all went black.

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There was silence once again on the street, there were no noises of running, no sound of sobbing jus plain silence – exactly how he liked it. He lifted the body of the smaller man into his arms and calmly, carrying the blonde, he started walking off in a direction only known to him. He was contented, no, satisfied was the better word for it. He stopped for a moment to examine the body he held in his arms, as the moon shown on both of them.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you're finally mine." The black haired man said with a wicked smile adorning his face and equally insane eyes.

"Now you belong to me… you will be my living canvas until I deicide that no more colors can be displayed on it. Then I will crumple it, destroy it, burn it so that it will show nothing more then pure agony! That's when it will truly become a beautiful canvas…."

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Kuroi-Urufu


	2. My territory

Chapter 2 My territory

Naruto tried to open his eyes when he felt a sudden dull ache in the back of his head. His mind was foggy and so was his vision, he still could not fully observe his surrounding nor clearly remember the last thing he did, but one thing was certain, something was definitely wrong…

He wasn't exactly a saint so he knew how it was to weak up in the morning with a huge hangover, it wasn't very pleasant to say the least, still, right now something in the back of his mind told him that today he could not blame his miserable condition solely on alcohol. Slowly the memories of last night started flooding his head – meeting with his friends, celebrating, getting a job. The image of Sakura also entered his mind and he felt he should be happy, that perhaps it really was the alcohol from yesterday that made him feel this way. And just when he was about to contently agree with this concept, he heard a strange noise, something that definitely did not belong in his room. He slowly started to open his eyes, knowing full well that the morning contact with the sun peering through his window would not help him in his state, however, to his surprise there was no abrupt contact with the sunrays. The only source of light was a small lamp on what seemed like a night stand, illuminating the whole room in sort of a sickening red light, contrasting with the blackness of the room lacking any windows.

It hit him – he was not in his room, and as soon as he realized that the dreaded memory came rushing to his mind. The night, the chase, the captor and then only blackness. Panic filled his whole body, like a tide going away just to come back with even more destroying force. He jolted up hoping he could escape and then saw what truly made him terrified – he was naked and tied to the bed, left immobile, vulnerable for a man with a sick imagination, who could come up with practically anything.

Naruto feared the worse and despite the panic that now threatened to overflow him, he still mobilized his body to carefully study his surroundings.

The decoration of the room was very luxurious and although the blonde was not an expert when it came to interiors, he could easily see that the room was decorated with a sophisticated taste, making it even more terrifying. The whole room was in red and black colors whereas the furniture was made of dark wood and it was in a baroque style contrasting with the walls and ornaments in a more gothic design. The way both of the styles were combined told him that his captor had to have unique taste, he was probably a connoisseur of…

His pondering was brought to a halt when he suddenly heard a noise, terrified he looked frantically around the room, which although dimly lit, still was roughly recognizable. Naruto dreaded that his captor would enter the room doing whatever his sick mind found amusing, luckily for him though, it was only an old wooden clock, showing that it was either midnight or noon, as the blonde was not sure how long he laid unconscious.

The wall clock occurred to be a cuckoo clock, one rarely seen nowadays. However instead of a bird coming out of the little doorway, there was a small porcelain doll. At first sight some would say she was beautiful, wearing a small black dress with a dazzling amount of delicate lace. Yet for Naruto it was the kind of a doll small children would fear, especially at night, when their big, human like eyes seemed to trace your every move.

When Naruto was young he always feared the darkness, that's why during nights he never liked to stay alone at home. But his father often had to work extra hard to assure them a good life so Naruto was used to being all by himself. Even so each time he had stay alone, he took all the paintings that hung on the walls saying that when the dark falls he can feel their eyes tracing him.

Although now he was already nineteen he still preferred to avoid the gaze of the doll. He was impatiently waiting for it to hide in the clock when he suddenly heard a melody - it was coming from the clock, probably to stress the fact that it was a full hour. The melody was something akin to a musical box, however, it was far more terrifying. At some point there was a meek voice of a young girl that sang or rather murmured along the lines of the music played by the clock which intensified the horrific appearance of the whole room. At this point Naruto could not think rationally anymore. The only thing he could think of were all the horror movies he had seen, where a sadistic psychopath was tying down his prays and torturing them with different tools.

It was sickening and the blonde felt like crying and throwing up at the same time, but after thinking of the concept of being tortured ,he was too petrified to even move. He always feared physical abuse and the pain it carries and now thinking that he was a part of some sadistic game made him wish for it to end as soon as possible, even if he was meant to die.

He frantically started to trash around in the bed trying to find a way to free himself, but his arms and legs were tied too securely to all four posts of the bed. He was sprawled on a white sheet, the only white thing in the room, helplessly awaiting his captor. In fear he lifted up his head once again scanning the room, this time however, in search of some potentially harmful objects. Luckily he found none but after inspecting the room for the second time, Naruto could assume what kind of a person his oppressor was. He definitely had some mentality problems, after all what kind of a sane person would capture people in the middle of night and drag them to their homes. In spite of it all Naruto was a little bit relieved to come across a valuable conclusion - that the man shouldn't at least be a brute or a ruthless sadist.

"Judging from the unique pieces of art and that the room's definitely decorated with taste, he has to be some art collector. Either way he cherishes beauty…" and whatever else he wanted to add died in his throat as he heard an amused laughter, or rather a chuckle, coming somewhere from behind where he could not look properly, as he was being tied down quite securely.

He suddenly heard silent footsteps nearing his bed and then, finally, he was able to fully observe the tall figure of a man, standing right beside his bed. Naruto started to trace the figure from bottom to top. He was wearing a black clothing which resembled a night gown, made of silk material, it was rather plain but on the man it seemed like the only piece of clothing worth him. In his right hand he was holding a glass of red wine slowly stirring it but not taking a sip. Finally Naruto's eyes traveled along the porcelain neck to the face of his captor. And he could not hide his astonishment even against the fear and hate he felt towards him. The older man had piercing black eyes without even a hint or a shade of any different color. His skin was as porcelain as the one of the little doll from the cuckoo clock, and his hair as black as night. He had perfectly curved lips and white teeth, his every single feature screamed perfection to the point it was too alluring to look directly into those emotionless, yet beautiful eyes.

But those eyes weren't looking directly into the blonde's but they were roaming all over his body, with a streak of lust and madness. It was then that Naruto fully realized his predicament - not only was he naked but also he was left tied down, allowing at the same time the raven haired man to do as he pleased. He suddenly felt embarrassment rush over him and while feeling extremely uncomfortable under the man's roaming gaze, he squirmed in his ties, trying somehow to hide himself from those eyes that were almost eating him alive.

Suddenly the man lifted his eyes from the tanned body and looked directly into the terrified blue eyes.

"Beauty is not something one should hide nor feel ashamed of." He said with a velvety voice which, as Naruto thought, definitely did not suit a kidnapper, or a molester or whoever the fucked up psychopath was.

"W..who are you?" the blonde asked fear and uncertainty lacing his voice.

"Didn't you already say it? I'm just a man who cherishes beauty." he said smiling , his voice filled with sheer amusement, as if he was having the time of his life.

"Why did you capture me then? Why am I here!" Naruto shouted irritated, still squirming in his bed, feeling discomfort from the fact that the man could observe every inch of his body.

"I told you true beauty is not meant to be hidden!" he yelled loosing his composure for the first time, in the process breaking the glass of wine he was holding. Naruto immediately quieted down, not daring to move. Obviously it made the raven haired man contented, he then slowly yet surely crawled on the bed and sat on blonde's abdomen, placing his legs on either side of the tanned body. At that point Naruto once again lost it and due to fear of what the man could do to him next, he once again started trashing around the bed, hoping for a miracle to come and to free him from the presence of the psychopath. This, however, made the taller man even more furious then the last time and he raised his hand and slapped Naruto harshly in the face. The shocked blonde waited for a next blow to come, but contrary to his assumptions nothing happened.

He slowly opened his eyes now filled with tears and looked at the man hovering above him. What he saw truly stunned him - the previously enraged man was now looking at him with a mixture of emotions akin to remorse - he would even dare to say that the raven looked like he regretted his actions.

"Why do you do that, why do you have to defy me! I thought you would finally be the one I was looking for , the only true beauty. But you're the same as all of them! You make me destroy you!" the man said half yelling half whispering all the time with a trembling voice.

"What do you mean by all of them? Who else…" the blonde asked even more terrified knowing that there were other victims of this man who probably didn't make it alive from that room.

"You are able to see the beauty, you said yourself that I'm a collector of unique beauty. I thought that since you realized it, you would be different, but you're the same as all of them. You do not let me shape you, make you in a truly magnificent peace of art!" the raven haired man yelled hysterically the madness in his eyes more evident than ever.

From that part Naruto knew that if he ever wanted to make it alive out of there he has to play along, he has to participate in the craziness the man has in store for him. The question was whether his will to survive was enough of a reason to become this man's puppet. Did he really want to make such a sacrifice or was it better to let himself get killed?

There was a moment of silence in which the raven haired man was longingly looking at his pray, disappointment and hatred filling his futures. It was now or never. At that moment the image of his father appeared before him, and the look on his face when he got to know that his son was killed. Naruto knew he would not be able to stand such news and even if it was only for him, he would try to survive. Thus he decided he will go along with the man's will and if at some point it was too much to bare he will either kill himself or let the man kill him.

"I… I'm sorry… I want… I want you to create a piece of art worth your eyes." Naruto said at the same time not believing his own words, but as soon as he saw the expression of the raven haired man, he knew it was the exact thing he wanted to hear.

"I knew it, I knew you would be the perfect one." He said with mirth in his eyes and bent down slowly tracing the blonde's muscled abs with the tips of his fingers. He then moved his fingers, which were barley touching the blonde's sensitive skin, along the boy's arms and neck, causing Naruto to gasp at the sudden sensation. Despite the fact that he was straight and that letting the man do what he wanted gave him a sickening feeling to his stomach, he still wasn't able to disregard the raven's stunning appearance and the sensation his delicate hands caused.

The raven positioned himself above the blonde now laying on the smaller body, his hands on either side of the blonde's head. He started gently caressing, kissing and licking the spot on Naruto's face where he hit him a moment ago.

"I'm truly sorry my beautiful one" he whispered into his ear and then the blonde was truly bewildered. He felt hot tears falling on his cheek – the man was crying, crying because he hurt him. It was something Naruto did not understand but it made him calmer, realizing that the man will not torture him at least. He felt the taller man bring his lips ever so gently, kissing his cheeks and whispering an apology.

"I apologize, it won't happen again, my Naruto."

Suddenly Naruto tensed and the question slipped from his mouth by itself.

"Do you know me?"

Immediately after saying those words he regretted it, after all he didn't want to do anything against then man. However, looking up at him he noted with relief that his captor wasn't angry, rather than that he actually seemed happy.

"Why, of course I know you my sweet Naruto. I know you from a very long time, in fact I know everything about you. I observed you and ensured that when the right time comes you will be a pure canvas. You know you were always my favorite, you already poses physical beauty now it is my job to ensure that you will be equally beautiful inside, creating the most magnificent peace of art. So I had to ensure no one else used you before me, you had to be pure and untouched." The raven haired man said with a smirk and bent down leaving a trail of kisses along the boys chest and belly until he reached his abdomen. He then proceeded to go further down despite the blonde's obvious protests.

"My little one I know you may be afraid, I too am sometimes overcame with beauty which I fear. But you have nothing to be afraid of, remember I will make you truly perfect." He said in a husky voice while reaching Naruto's length.

Despite how hard he tried to control his own body, Naruto could not help to suppress the desire he felt. He knew he was getting hard and he was ashamed of it. One thing was to let the man do what he wanted to be able to escape, another was to actually enjoy it. Obviously though the raven haired man was pleasured by the blonde's response and he held the lithe body, his hands on both sides of his waist, and proceeded to gently kiss the tip of the blonde's already hard member.

The sensation Naruto was feeling up until now intensified to an unbearable amount, when he felt the raven haired man's delicate lips touch his erection. He felt a pleasurable sensation travel down his spine and he shivered feeling his self control breaking. He wanted to moan, yell for the man to take him now, but his pride wouldn't let that happen. Instead he tried to ignore the ever so gentle and delicate lips caressing his member and the smooth movement of hands on both of his sides, now going up and down his tights as if teasing him. The movements weren't brute not even intense, they were soft, docile even, as if the man was truly touching a piece of art.

Despite Naruto's obvious need to intensify the actions, he was surprisingly turned on by the way the raven handled him. He was treating him like some sort of a precious painting too valuable to be touched or even looked at, something that could break down and loose it's beauty by a mere mistreatment.

When Naruto thought he could not hold it any longer the man stopped only adding to his agony, as now his body yearned for more attention. It's true that despite his age, Naruto was still a virgin and he suspected it was what made his captor say that he's 'untouched'. Still thinking that he knew everything about him, including that, made him paranoid – was he constantly observed by this man? And why did he never realize it?

"You are an empty canvas, but your special. I will become your creator, I will become the author of the beautiful peace of art you will soon be. I will slowly fill you with colors and emotions only a true piece of art can posses. As I am your author you will only recognize me, you will only let my hands to shape you, to create you, to possess you. I will memorize every inch of your body as you will memorize my every touch until we will become one." He said slowly rising from the bed and bending forward to the nightstand. He slowly opened a drawer and took an object that resembled a sort of mixture of a pen and a knife, as it was slightly bigger and extremely sharp at the end.

Nartuo's fearful eyes began tracing the object, not knowing what it will be used for. The raven haired man probably saw his fear and in a weird way tried to comfort him.

"My little Naruto, in my opinion author's signature under a painting is something uncalled for, something that causes pain to the canvas, a useless formality, since every canvas knows and can feel their owner, right, Naruto?" he asked gently caressing the smaller boy's cheek. He waited for an answer so Naruto warily nodded his head, still suspiciously eyeing the object the taller man was holding.

"I knew you would agree. Nevertheless we live in a world of cruelty where monsters exists who would even go as far as to violate somebody's canvas. So that is why in order to show everyone that you can only belong to one painter - to me – I will have to leave my signature on the canvas. You understand that right?" he asked his voice filled with concern and something akin to guilt as he slowly brought the object to the boy's face. Not leaving Naruto any chances to even utter a protest he started carving the sharp end of the object into the boy's cheeks and with a few experienced and swift movements he was done.

He carved six lines, three on each cheek, which were symmetrical to one another. At first, as he carved the delicate skin blood started dripping from the wounds, quickly however, it mixed with the ink in the pen creating permanent black whisker like marks on Naruto's cheeks.

At first the blonde was in shock since he did not suspect the man of hurting him, soon however, as he registered the pain caused by the sharp objects he started screaming and yelling, tears pouring from his eyes. It was enough for him, he was tired, he was in pain and most of all the fear and the oddity of the whole situation amounted to a break down. Naruto lost all his strength and coherent thinking, he did not even register what was happening to him anymore.

Only after a while did he realize that he was released from the ties that left him immobile. Now, a warm body was pressed into his, holding him tightly and rocking him. He heard a husky voice saying: "Don't worry, it's all over, you're mine now." repeating those word like a mantra, over and over again.

He didn't even realize when he embraced the taller figure finding some strange security in it's warmth, completely disregarding his abused senses that told him it was only delusional.

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Naruto slowly opened his eyes and a sudden fear rushed through him. He expected to see the black room filled with a sickening atmosphere created by the melody of the cuckoo clock, but what he saw truly amazed him. He was back in his room and everything was on it's place, everything was normal.

"It all was a dream?" he could not even comprehend his own words as joy and relief surged through him. He once again felt like the happiest man on earth and tears of joy started to from in the corners of his eyes and although he knew it was stupid, he felt like he wanted to jump up in the air and celebrate that he was living in his normal, psychopath free life.

"Oh Naruto you're awake, I was so worried about you." Came the warm and well known voice of his father. Naruto wanted to leap straight into his father embrace even though he would probably give a heart attack to his poor, unsuspecting father. And just when he was about to do it his father continued.

"I heard everything, thank god he was there." His father said showing sincere concern.

"Who was there, what did you hear?" Naruto asked bewildered.

"Yesterday when you were coming home from the party a gang attacked you for money, hopefully mister Uchiha was there and he took care of them and helped you."

Naruto started to process the information. So that's what happened? He was knocked unconscious and a man helped him. That's probably why he didn't remember exactly what happened, only that disturbing dream.

"Thank God nothing bad happened, it could've ended worse, you could've been killed! Unfortunately they wounded you pretty badly, I think those markings will be permanent. If I only knew who they were I would kill them myself, how dare they…." Arashi continued with his rant while Naruto did not listen anymore. Was he beaten badly? His father said something about permanent injuries, he had to find out so he started frantically scanning his room in search of a mirror. Eventually when he found one the shock of what he saw made him release the mirror from his grip, causing it to shatter into tiny pieces on the floor.

"Don't worry" he heard his worried father say "It doesn't looks bad, the most important thing is that you're alive. You should thank mister Uchiha for that. He has been waiting here the whole night, worrying about your health."

Naruto slowly lifted his gaze in the direction of the opened door and he saw what he dreaded most. Eyes black as coal were admiring the now whiskered cheeked blonde, or rather the artist was admiring his canvas - a signed property of his.

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End chapter 2

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The cuckoo clock announced midnight as the porcelain doll appeared in the wooden door. Her eyes seemed to be dead but to an experienced eye it was evident that she was looking at you, the moon reflecting the glint of madness in her eyes. Then , with a raspy voice, she uttered a single yet a meaningful word….review. : )

Kuroi-urufu


	3. And he collapsed

Chapter 3 And he collapsed.

"Naruto don't just gape like that, you should thank this nice man for saving your life." Arashi ordered his son and turned to the mysterious savior.

"I'm sorry Mr Uchiha, my son must still be in shock." The older man said with an apologetic tone while looking at his still bewildered son. All the while the intruder was standing in the doorway, his gaze never leaving the tanned silhouette. He narrowed his coal black eyes for a second, which a normal observer would not even register, but Naruto did. He then slowly, almost lethargically closed his eyes and when he opened them, he seemed like someone different, like a regular, normal person. But impressions were often delusional.

"Yes of course, I believe it had to be quite a shock for your son. Well then, now that I'm sure everything's ok I will be on my way." he said with a pleasant smile adorning his porcelain face, one that would assure a normal onlooker that everything was in perfect order, just the way it should be.

"How can we repay you for what you did." Arashi asked, he was always a kind natured man – too kind if Naruto had any say in it.

The raven haired man stopped in his track and once again looked at the blonde, who during the whole time was only praying for the man to leave his home, so that he would never have to see him again. Their eyes met and Naruto could almost feel the panic rising within him. He clenched his fists around the bedclothes, almost shredding the cover under which he lay, nervously anticipating the response of the psychopath.

"I think Naruto already did something to repay me, right Naruto?" he smiled, and the glint of madness Naruto remembered so well from yesterday was now being carefully masked, as Arashi exchanged a confused glance between the blonde and his savior.

"So don't trouble yourself anymore Mr Uzumaki. Now if you'll excuse me I'll be on my way, there are duties awaiting me." He said more than politely and, along with Arashi, proceeded out of Naruto's room, putting on a long, black coat while ever so slowly descending the stairs.

"Ok Naruto I'll be leaving as well, I'm already late for my job. If you want something to eat then…" but Arashi was never allowed to finish his sentence as a sudden sound of rapid movement could be heard on the first floor coming from Naruto's bedroom and in a matter of seconds the blonde appeared at the top of the stairway, breathing unevenly.

"Son you should rest a bit, don't go running around in your state! I'll be home later today." he said making his way to the door, beside which the tall, dark figure was still present.

"I…can you stay here a little while longer." He whispered which was barely audible, even so one person did hear him exactly and, unfortunately for Naruto, it wasn't the right one.

Sasuke didn't do anything, his stoic facial features not even moving an inch, but his eyes were what reflected the man's thoughts and intention, of which Naruto already knew he should be cautious. This time, however, he simply stared blankly at the blonde not uttering a word, as if leaving the right choice to Naruto.

"What did you say son?" Arashi asked this time with a bit of irritation in his voice, he never liked to be late for his job.

Naruto took one last glance towards the dark haired man. "No, nothing dad." he said trying to maintain an indifferent tone.

"Ok then, goodbye son." His dad said opening the door.

"Hn. Goodbye Naruto" the raven haired man added walking out of the house.

When the doors were finally closed the blonde felt great relief wash through him, yet immediately after, it was followed by uncertainties and fear that amounted in him. He hurried to one of the front windows in order to make sure that his oppressor would really leave, and when he saw a black Toyota driving away from their porch he felt a little more secure.

Nevertheless he still could not feel safe, that was definitely out of the question. Everything just seemed so unreal, one night he was living happily with his father and the next thing he knows he gets caught by a serial murderer, or so he thought. And just when he thinks he's about to die he wakes up back in his room. Everything would have seem perfect if not for the ominous presence of the man, who believed he had possession over him.

Realizing that he should not feel safe even in his own house he abruptly stood up and proceeded to check all the windows and doors, and only when he was sure each and every one was closed he went to his bathroom and locked himself inside. It was a small room lacking any windows which made him feel a bit more protected while being in it than in the rest of the house.

He looked into the mirror of the dimly lit bathroom and while seeing his reflection, his eyes once more fell upon the dark, whisker like markings on his face.

And he collapsed.

He fell to the floor crying and screaming, letting loose the pressure that accumulated in him. He started wailing still looking with disgust at the whisker markings on his face, the signature, the symbol that he was a mere possession, a canvas.

Naruto started scratching furiously at his cheeks, infuriated that he was tainted, that in those black, lifeless eyes he was seen as an object which could be easily altered. He hated himself for allowing the man to do it, he felt dirty remembering how the man had seen him, all of him, and as he laid kisses along his neck, his arms, his belly his…

The lithe form started whimpering, not being able to control his lament. With shaking hands he crawled to the shower cabinet and turned the water full force. He started shredding his clothes, which were slowly being soaked by cold water, hoping that by getting rid of them, he will also make the disgust he felt for himself disappear along with the tarnished peaces of clothing.

"Why… why the fuck did it have to happen to me.." he yelled, the sound muffled by the loud noise of water splashing at the bottom of the shower cabinet.

"I just want to be clean… I want to go home… I want it all to be the way it was." He sobbed with a trembling voice, desperately trying to control his tears but failing miserably to do so.

He knew he was already at his home, but he couldn't call it like that anymore, now it was only a house, no, not even a house, an empty building, a shell. And it was all because of the man, because he could still feel his presence here. Did he spent the whole night in his room, watching him as he slept? Did he sit at the kitchen table, eating a late dinner his father prepared for him to show his gratitude for saving his son? He felt the man everywhere, his black eyes directed towards him, tracing his every movement. He invaded the only place he felt safe, his home…

After a while Naruto saw blood mixing with the water from the shower, only then did he realize that all this time he did not stop scratching his cheeks, causing small wounds to appear on them. Nothing, however, made the dark marks disappear. They were like a permanent sign meant only for him to understand - to remind him that he was not allowed to feel happiness.

----

He hadn't even realized when he finally left the bathroom, with a blank expression making his way back to his room. He sat on his bed, and while still being in a daze he looked around the room, waiting for something to happen. Although being in his own bedroom he was far from feeling safe. Naruto had the distressing feeling that any minute now, the man will just reappear in the doorway, with his calculating and scrutinizing gaze.

He immediately jumped from the bed and went to a large cupboard standing near the entrance to his room and using all the strength he had left, he pushed it in front of the door, blocking the way of any potential danger. As soon as he managed to do so, he sprinted back to his bed, the dazed expression still present on his face. He sat on his bed, with only a white towel covering him, and pulled his legs to his chest, embracing them with his hands.

Naruto sat like that for quite a while, hiding his face in his knees while rocking his body back and forth. All the time, however, keeping his senses sharp as to hear even a slight movement outside the door. Despite how much he wanted to forget everything that happened, the images of everything that happened kept flooding his head. Not knowing why, he reached out for a remote control turning on a small tv that stood on one of the shelves, opposite to the bed. The blonde unconsciously flipped to a station showing cartoons and mindlessly stared into the colorful images playing on the lifeless screen.

He wondered how stupid it has to be for him, a grown man, to be watching cartoons. Oddly, however, it was the only thing that felt right at the moment, that finally made him feel safe. He observed the world displayed for him in the little black box, the sun smiling in the bright sky, the vast fields of flowers where ferries roamed. The world of dogs as huge as houses, of mystery dragons guarding their treasure and of good always victorious over evil. And at that moment he thought that those weren't cartoons, that was the real life, so much more realistic than what he lives in.

Suddenly serial killers, psychopaths, terrorists, murderers all belonged to a world that should be contained in the little black box, along with other things that were surely too surreal to be a part of normal life.

All of a sudden a sound could be heard, coming from inside of the blonde's room, which made Naruto jump up abruptly and back up to the nearest wall. He could feel his heart hammering in his ribcage as he tried to identify the source of the strange buzzing sound. Finally spotting his cell phone, vibrating on the top of his desk, he reached out tentatively to retrieve it. Feeling partly relieved that it was only his phone, he still was concerned over whom it may be that wanted to contact him.

Looking at the screen he saw the all too familiar name of his girlfriend flash in a pink color, the one she most favored. He decided to answer the phone.

"S…Sakura" Naruto asked stuttering, as if anticipating another, more masculine and velvety voice to answer.

"Naruto baka, don't tell me you overslept again!" Sakura shouted sounding pissed.

"What?" was the sole answer of the blonde, who still wasn't able to think coherently .

"I knew it! You forgot that we were supposed to meet in the Ueno Park this afternoon. I've been waiting here for like ten minutes already!" she yelled waiting for an equal comeback from his boyfriend. Sakura was never the 'soft' type, she preferred to be straightforward and so was her boyfriend, and although some would say they argue a lot, it's just their weird way of communicating. Normally she would be the one yelling and Naruto the one making all sorts of different excuses, however, even after a quarrel they always managed to make up, Naruto usually being the one to apologize. That's why this time when instead of hearing the loud apology of her boyfriend she was met with dead silence, Sakura was positive something was definitely wrong.

"Naruto… is everything all right?" she asked her voice laced with worry.

Meanwhile Naruto was contemplating over his situation, trying to sort through all the possible things he could do. As the initial shock of the whole situation finally died down, he was able to think clearly about his current predicement. First of all he knew that hiding in his room was of no use to him. It's true that at first he just wanted to wait for his father to return and tell him everything that happened, but the longer he waited the more paranoid he became. Besides wouldn't it be too dangerous to just stay in his house – a place his captor could easily come back to?

He should definitely go to the police station and file a rapport on the man, firstly however, he wanted to talk with somebody. Naruto wanted someone to be there with him and since Sakura called, wouldn't it be a perfect opportunity. The Ueno park was very close to his house so he should be able to reach it without any trouble, as it was still early and there were a lot of people walking through the streets. In a crowd of people he should feel relatively safe.

"Naruto are you there?"

"Yes, Sakura listen…" he started, it was now or never he had to decide and do something fast.

"I will be there in a minute. I just have to put some clothes on." He said finally getting up from the bed and looking for some clothes to wear.

"Naruto tell me, something's wrong, I can feel it." The pink haired girl asked with concern. She knew him too well and she could easily recognize when her boyfriend was tensed.

"Listen, I'll tell you everything when I get there, just wait for me in the place we usually meet, ok?" he asked, irritation evident in his voice.

"Well ok." She said and Naruto was about to hung up when the girl continued.

"Naruto…"

"What!" he yelled not being able to contain his emotions.

"I just wanted to say I love you."

Yes she was always able to make him feel guilty, even in a situation like this, when he had every right to feel angry.

"I love you too. Bye" he said with a sigh and hung up.

After hurriedly getting dressed, Naruto pushed the cupboard that was blocking the door to his room and slowly turned the knob, opening the door. Instead of quickly leaving the house, each step he made was very tentative, looking carefully around every corner, his muscles contracted, ready to make a quick dash if needed. After making sure that the place was clear he went down the stairs and straight to the front door, remembering to close it before going off in the direction of the park.

Hopefully for him it was a nice day although it was already mid autumn. The sun was shining, illuminating the colors of fallen leaves, and those which still managed to stay on trees. It was a perfect, warm afternoon, full of people's chatter and laughter. Today was Sunday, the best time for families to go on strolls with their perfect husbands, ideal wives and most of all their flawless kids. Naruto felt as if only he was being left out from the perfect picture.

He quickly made his way through the busy streets hoping to reach Sakura as fast as he could. Yet something was still troubling him, he felt as if he forgot about an important detail. His thoughts came back to the mysterious man, the source of his oppression. Obviously his name could not really be Uchiha, why would he give away his true identity? Surely he wasn't insane enough to believe that Naruto wouldn't go to the police, with the information concerning the man.

But what disturbed him the most was the reason as to why the man released him. After all he could simply hold him hostage, doing whatever weird things he wanted to, whatever pleased his sick imagination. Was letting him free a way of redemption for the man? No, even for Naruto it seemed too insane to believe. He should simply stop worrying and think of a way to tell everything to Sakura, which definitely won't be an easy task.

He finally reached the place where he was supposed to meet Sakura and in the distance he saw the girl waiting for him near a tall statue representing Saigo Takamori, 'the last samurai' along with his dog. It was always a bizarre statue and each time they met there Naruto couldn't help glancing towards it. This time, however, what he saw made his heart jump, fear paralyzing his body. He stopped dead in his track, not even moving an inch.

Somewhere, almost like trough a fog, he registered Sakura coming up to him, and her worried expression upon seeing his face. But he could not focus on her, all his attention brought to the man admiring the statue, tracing his every move without even taking a breath. Was he only imagining things, after all only his back was facing him. But then Naruto felt the world stopping as the man turned around, ever so slowly, his gaze directed exactly towards him. It was quite a distance, but no so far as to not recognize those lifeless features and eyes, which most certainly were focused on the blonde, waiting for him, somehow knowing he will come to this place.

But he made sure no one was following him, so how did the man manage to trace him? Perhaps he knew where he usually met up with Sakura, after all he implied that he knew everything about Naruto. Nonetheless how was he supposed to know that at this particular moment he wanted to see his girlfriend? He couldn't have been traced by the man all the way to Ueno Park, he made sure of that, besides it was evident that the stalker was here before him, all the time waiting for him. Observing Sakura.

Suddenly the blonde felt terrified, why didn't he think about Sakura's safety? He selfishly dragged her into the whole situation, exposing her to the dangerous man. How could he do that to her just in order to feel secured, to be able to share the things he went trough with somebody.

All the while deaf to Sakura's interrogation over what happened, the blonde saw movement in the corner of his eye. Once more, he looked in the direction he was expecting to see that dark figure, yet as nothing came into his view he frantically started looking all over the place, searching for the tall silhouette, his whole body shaking involuntary.

"Naruto, what's happening to you! You're scaring me." was the sole sentence he somehow managed to hear despite the immense fear he felt at the moment. It was probably because for the first time he heard a voice so desperate, threatening to turn into sobs if the charade lasted even a minute longer.

Despite his nervousness he wanted to say something to Sakura, to calm her down, to console her even a little bit, but it was all in vain as once again the man he so feared of reappeared not so far away from them. While he was slowly making his way towards them, hands stuffed in his pockets, Naruto felt his legs rooted to the spot, the irrational fear intensified to such a degree that he could not move even a bit. And then he saw something that made him realize the seriousness of the situation he was in, the coal black eyes were not directed towards him but rather his pink haired girlfriend who had yet to stop her rants. This time, however, the eyes held something he couldn't quite place, nevertheless he knew one thing, it was definitely not good. As the man was already in hearing range, Naruto tried to act, doing the only reasonable thing he thought was apt at the moment for both his, but mostly for Sakura's safety.

"Shut up!" he yelled suddenly, turning his venom filled eyes towards the pink haired girl, who winced at the harshness of his tone.

"The reason I met with you today is to straighten things up." He said loud enough for the man to hear, who now stopped in his tracks, listening to the conversation with something akin to mild curiosity.

"I don't want to see you ever again." Naruto said now turning his full attention to the girl who stood there confused, her face filled with hurt.

"What? Naruto, love, what are you talking about, something is definitely wrong I can see that. Tell me what happened to you. You said yourself there was something you wanted me to hear out." She said her eyes scanning the now unfamiliar face of his boyfriend, never had she seen Naruto so distant and emotionless.

"Yes I wanted to tell you something very important Sakura, I wanted to tell you that I finally understood." the blonde responded calmly.

"What… what did you understand?" she inquired while tears started falling down her pretty face.

"I… I finally understood the concept of beauty Sakura." he said with a sarcastic smile, looking down at the pink haired girl, his eyes filled with superiority. And in the corner of his eye he saw that from that moment, the tall man posing as Mr. Uchiha, smiled wickedly, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Naruto stop acting weird, you're really scaring me!" the girl shouted, anger and fear, both filling her features.

"And you know what? According to that concept of beauty, you are really ugly, Sakura." he said smiling wickedly, both his words and actions making the girl cry uncontrollably. "You do not cherish real beauty, you can't even distinguish it from ugliness. You're like all other people who even when faced with pure art, are too ignorant to appreciate it's blessing, rather than that, they foolishly destroy it." he stated calmly.

"Give me back my Naruto, you monster!" she yelled at top of her lungs, her fists clenched around her dress, sobs escaping her throat.

He then slowly turned around looking directly into the black eyes observing him from a distance, his back now facing the pink haired girl.

"Never assume I'm yours! Can't you see I'm already signed, that I belong to someone who's worth of modeling true art?" he said, seeing mirth and contentment on the face of the tall man.

"Sakura you, on the other hand, are simply repulsive." He added and knew it was already enough for the girl, who nearly collapsed, hearing those words coming from her loved one.

Her whole world started spinning before her eyes, was it all even real? Naruto, the same Naruto that tried to date her for few years now, the same Naruto that was the most gentle person she knew, could come up with such venom filled words. Was the whole image of the usually cheerful blonde haired boy only a farce, only a pretense? Was she only a toy for him, which he could bring to the edge and then crumple and throw away like a piece of trash?

But she was strong, she could bear with that, she could live on, knowing that the man she had trusted deceived her. Yet there was something she could never forgive, the fact that after so many years, her heart was fully devoted to that bright blonde boy, with a genuine smile and beautiful blue eyes she started to cherish so much. She wanted to scream that she hated him, order him not to show his face in front of her ever again, but the words she ended up saying were far different.

"Naruto… I hate you, because you made me love you" and she turned around making small steps forward, not knowing where she was going, the most important thing, however, was to get as far away as possible. To forget.

As the girl slowly moved away from the horizon, the blonde heard even steps nearing the place he was standing, meanwhile trying to remember the pretty face smiling at him, framed by beautiful pink hair. But he couldn't, no more was he able to bring back good memories.

"Shall I kill her?" the man stated, now standing besides the blonde. The question coming from the raven haired man felt so natural for him that Naruto had to use all his willpower to suppress a shudder of fear and disgust.

"No, ugliness is needed in this world, for true beauty to shine." He said, barely containing the tears that threatened to fall down, but especially the immense ache in his heart, not believing such pain could even exist.

"Hn, well said my dear Naruto, well said." Sasuke mused, not even wanting to hide the chuckle that escaped his lips. For a moment he stood like that, beside Naruto, probably still contemplating on the scene he witnessed. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the warm rays of the afternoon sun that shone through the colorful leaves.

While they stood like that, side to side, not uttering a word, Naruto thought how insane it all was. Here he was, standing beside the man for whom killing obviously wasn't anything big, on the contrary, he would dare to say that it was almost like a routine. The blonde hated the raven haired man for every wrong thing that happened in his life, not only for making him suffer but most of all for causing him to hurt those he loved most. Still he couldn't avert his gaze from the tall figure standing right beside him and most of all from his angelic face. He wondered how was it possible for a man who was bearing so many sins, to look so pure, so breathtakingly beautiful. It made him fill ashamed, of how much intoxicating he found the features of his oppressor to be, the one who should not even deserve to live..

Finally after a deep sigh the man opened his eyes and looked at Naruto, his eyes widening in shock but most of all anger. The blonde, upon seeing the rage growing in the man, shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the outburst to come. He knew it would be far too perfect for the tormentor to just fall for his previous words. He probably discovered the mystification and now Naruto would have to suffer the consequences.

Indeed accordingly to what he presumed, he soon felt two strong hands clenching around his arms so tightly that it would definitely leave bruises. But the blonde didn't complain, he just waited patiently for what was too come. He felt the man backing him into a tree and soon felt an intense ache hitting his nervous system with immense force. Due to the sudden shock he opened his eyes, giving an outcry of pain. As soon as the initial shock was over, he hurriedly closed his eyes once again, trying not see the person standing in front of him, looking at him with distaste and disappointment.

"What did you do to your face." The man asked, a mix of anger and remorse present in the husky voice.

The question was a complete surprise for the blonde, who opened his blue eyes and looked into the dark orbs, a mere few inches from his. He hadn't suspected that, he was sure that the man had seen through his plan and would punish, if not kill him, for his disobedience. But all he was angry about was his face and, as the blonde assumed, those few scratches he inflicted to himself this morning. But the raven haired man was obviously waiting for an explanation, which he had to give him soon, otherwise it could all end up the same way.

"It was an accident." he barely whispered.

"Don't lie to me!" the taller man hollered, his voice echoing throughout the whole area. "You think that I'm stupid? Do you honestly think I would believe in such nonsense!"

Naruto started shaking, not being able to hide his desperation. He always found it hard to think coherently when people yelled at him, he hated that, yet most of the times he was able to come up with an quall comeback, not allowing others to treat him as if he was inferior to them. This time, however, he would not dare to fight back, at least not until he was sure that the man would not harm his close ones, especially his dad whom he already got acquainted with.

"It's true… you're right… I lied to you, I'm sorry." Naruto said with a small voice and as the man waited silently he continued. "I thought that I'm not worth it, that I'm not good enough to be your muse. I felt miserable, angry with myself and I couldn't even look at my reflection… feeling unworthy of being your possession. So I wanted to erase the signature you gave me…" he said casting his gaze downwards just to be able to avoid the sternful gaze.

But it was not a good idea as it only made the man crouch in front of him, trying to maintain the eye contact between them, which the blonde dreaded the most, snce his eyes reflected most of his emotions he so desperately wanted to hide. The Uchiha looked directly into his eyes, his penetrating gaze obviously searching for something. After a while he finally broke the eye contact, his hands reaching up to the lithe silhouette of the blonde. He embraced him in mid waist and while still crouching beneath the tree, he pulled Naruto down, placing him on his lap.

Only after the unexpected gesture of affection, did Naruto realize that they were still in the park surrounded by people, who curious as to the reason behind the riot between the two man, slowed down in their tracks to discretely observe the couple. Suddenly the blonde felt very uncomfortable, agreeing to whatever the man wanted, at the same time being observed by so many people. It was one thing to publicly display emotions between lovers, of which Naruto was never a big fan, and the other to do that when two men were involved. He knew how society reacts to such displays and felt awfully embarrassed, praying for the man to release him as fast as humanly possible. But his prayers were futile.

The Uchiha, not noticing the small crowd now gaping at both of them, or simply not caring what everyone thought, proceeded with what he had in mind and while securely holding the blonde he begun whispering into his ear.

"My stupid little Naruto, am I not the only one who can judge what's worthy my eyes and what's not?" he said rigorously yet obviously being pleased with Naruto's respond. "I'll let it slip this time, but remember if I catch you one more time on destroying your beauty, I won't go so easy on you. And you don't want me to think that you do not cherish the beauty you posses, right Naruto?" he asked with a creepy smile, his eyes roaming over the blonde's body, which made him shudder.

"I don't hear you, Naruto?" he said into the blonde's ear, meanwhile one of his hands caressing the blonde's cheek and the other still placed securely around his waist, holding him from behind. As the man traced the small, self-inflicted wounds his frown deepened, obviously disliking the temporarily defect in his yet to be polished work of art.

"Yes, I wouldn't want that." Naruto said finding it even harder to control his growing uneasiness, seeing as how many onlookers stopped to scrutinize their foul behavior. He was feeling utterly ashamed of the way he was being treated by the man, who perhaps found some wicked pleasure in displaying him to publicity. Spotting a girl in the crowd, with whom he had classes back at high school, certainly did not help his distress to fade, instead only deepening it further.

"Good boy. I will make it feel all better now." the Uchiha said with delight and now, instead of his hand caressing the blonde's scratched cheeks he started kissing and licking each small cut, exactly the way he did it yesterday, when the blonde was in great pain due to the signature the artist gave him. It had something infantile in it, like a mother kissing her child's wounds to make it feel better. But did it mean that his oppressor genuinely cared for his well being, or did he just want to keep his canvas in perfect condition? Either way Naruto was not a naïve child and knew that blowing on an aching finger will not cure it miraculously. The man could not just kiss away the wounds he caused to the blonde. No kisses would make a crying face of a pink haired girl fade away from his distressed mind, nor was there anything that would make him feel the way he used to, to feel like he was actually living again.

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"Naruto, from now on, I want you to call me Sasuke."

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End Chapter 3

"You know how long it sometimes takes me to update – well the reason I mobilized all my strength to do it sooner this time is to thank all those wonderful people who reviewed my story and reassured me that the wickedness in it is somewhat intriguing." the authoress said, unconsciously scratching her cheeks, feeling unworthy of the reviews she recieved. :)

Kuroi-Urufu


	4. Creation

Chapter 4 Behind the curtains

Ok I'm sorry I'm updating so late but someone at my University surely doesn't see a difference between an institution that is supposed to teach and one that is supposed to torture T.T. Anyway special thanks to Nejislady for her last reviews that actually mobilized me to write this chapter :) And of course to all those who also contributed to reviewing this story, please continue to do so, because while writing this I'm already doubting my sanity.

Chapter 4 Creation.

"Naruto, from now on, I want you to call me Sasuke." the man said finally releasing the blonde from his embrace, allowing him to stand up. After the demonstration between the two of them finally ended, the crowd slowly returned to it's normal rhythm, everyone proceeding in their previous destinations, however, not without uttering a few profanities under their breaths.

Meanwhile Naruto tried to slowly calm himself down, finally free from the stern gazes of the curious onlookers. Yet he still felt intimidated, being fully aware of Sasuke's presence, even though his eyes left his figure for a moment, focusing yet again on the tall statue of Saigo Takamori. He then proceeded to make his way towards the monument leaving Naruto behind.

This could be the best opportunity Naruto would get to run away, but was it really wise to dash off from the man. After all, he knew Sasuke was very fast after the first night of their unwanted meeting, when the man emerged from the darkness, with his cold eyes calculating the best way to capture his prey - to capture him. Besides would he able to secure the safety of his father then? No, it was definitely too risky to even try, he had to gather some information on the man and then perhaps head to the police.

Sasuke moved in the direction of the statue beckoning Naruto to follow him, the blonde silently obliging to the wishes of the psychopath. He observed the man from behind, his calculated moves, determined strides even the way he brushed his hair to temporarily get rid of the unwanted bangs which were disturbing his vision – his whole appearance screamed of power, confidence, arrogance. But for Naruto it was a terrifying scream, one that in it's deep tones hid the true nature of its character, the manipulation, malice and abnormality – the real Uchiha Sasuke. Unluckily for him though, he was probably the only one able to see, or rather able to believe in the true nature of the seemingly perfect man that walked before him.

Suddenly the tall, dark man stopped a few feet before the statue, which clearly disrupted Naruto, who was slowly becoming paranoid, expecting that every move of the tall man would be a fatal blow of sorts. He then saw that Sasuke was waiting for him in front of the monument so he quickened his moves. When he neared him, Sasuke, having his gaze still settled on the statue in front of him, started talking to the younger boy.

"I must tell you Naruto, you have some taste." he said and silenced himself for a while as if waiting for an answer from the blue eyed boy. Alas nothing came he continued his speech. "Tell me did you pick this place, because you thought it would be best suited for ruining the girls heart." He said, an amused chuckle escaping his lips.

Those words hurt the blonde, caused an unbearable pain in his chest, one that he was sure would never go away, no matter how much he'd like to forget how he hurt the person he loved most dearly. And now he was reminded yet again, what an unspeakable thing he had done, and coming from the person standing against him accompanied with a chuckle, made it sound a lot worse then it already was.

"I'll take your silence as a yes. I must say I come here quite often, always liked this particular statue. I'm sure you know that it was build to honor the last true samurai." Sasuke said admiring the monument, not realizing the inner pain the smaller boy was going through. "Why do you think though, is he portrayed with a dog at his side?" he asked, clearly waiting for an answer from Naruto.

The boy barely registered what the other man said to him and with void eyes looked up at the statue of Saigo Takamori with his pet. He always liked the place precisely for the animal since he though it was so rare and odd to make a statue of a dog. Never though, did he put much thought as to why the pet was there. He just felt he liked it and that was enough to declare it a special meeting spot for him and his girlfriend. Now the word special, however, had a more ironic tone to it than it originally had.

"I guess to stress out the main reason for which the man even got a statue of his own." Naruto said indifferently.

"Which is?" Sasuke asked slightly raising his elegant brow.

"Loyalty of course. Loyalty to his beliefs, to honor and duty and most of all loyalty to his master, since every samurai has his master whom he sworn to protect. I'm guessing that that's the reason behind him being called the last samurai, because he was the last person who would put his pride and responsibility before convenience and would stand beside his master." And he paused for a minute realizing that the stern yet curious gaze of the tall man was directed towards him. Nevertheless after a moment of silence, he added "And a dog always was a symbol of loyalty to it's master."

Naruto knew exactly that he was under the scrutinizing gaze of the Uchiha, but he did not falter. He felt that perhaps what he said wasn't the thing that he was expected to say, still at this moment he had the urge to say things accordingly to what he really thought. At least this once.

Suddenly the tall man started laughing which startled the blonde, who was expecting almost everything except a reaction of laughter. He then stiffened even more when he felt a hand patting his head playfully. He thought it was impossible to connect a man who in his eyes had an image of a psychopath with as humanly reactions as smiling or patting ones head. It was disturbing for he only wanted to see the man as a vicious and heartless being, void of emotions. It was always easier to hate him then, easier to despise him and dream of his death even from his own hands, yet knowing full well that he would probably never be able to detest someone to a point where he would kill the person with his own hands. And seeing the elegant face brightened by a laughter didn't help at all.

"You have still much to learn Naruto, you're very naïve at times. Still much better from my previous canvas though." he mused letting go of the blondes head and turning away from the statue, slowly walking down the path leading out of the Ueno park. Naruto knew he was to follow the man even though he didn't say anything, still one thing bothered him.

"So what do you think the dog symbolizes….Sasuke" he spoke the name as he was told, still it felt so awkward speaking to the man so directly. Names should belong to humans solely, not monsters he thought.

He wasn't sure whether it was wise to ask the man directly for his opinion but he wanted to know it, as if the knowledge would let him in on the secret of a man named Uchiha Sasuke.

"Well isn't it obvious. Saigo Takamori, as the last samurai is also a symbol of greatness and perfection. He's the only carrier of true principals, of true beauty. Whereas the dog symbolizes the rest of the human race, small, beastly, brainless, striving for small, worthless gains not even being close to comprehending the concept of beauty. It's simply the filth with which the last samurai has to face, fight each and every day protecting the secret of true beauty as he is the only one who is willing to understand it. He's the only one worthy of it." He said and continued walking down the path not noticing the baffled look the blonde send him, stopping in his tracks for a moment.

_So that's how much we differ _the blonde though looking at the tall figure going ahead of him. All of a sudden, though, the man turned around after noticing that the boy ceased in his tracks and walked up to him with a gentle smile. Naruto was too distracted to protest when he felt a cold hand cupping his left cheek. He only saw the man bent slightly as to be on the same level with the boy and said with a husky voice to the blonde's ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"But I like yours story too." Sasuke whispered and kissed the tip of Naruto's ear releasing him soon after and continuing in his tracks. After a few moments of silence, when both of them were slowly nearing to the exit of the park, the Uchiha started talking casually.

"As I said you're still a lot wiser then all the previous canvas I had. I put so much hope in them just to be disappointed the minute I let them out of my sight. Luckily you're not like them, from the minute I saw you I knew you would be the one I was searching so long for." He said with finality in his voice, stressing out that it was all he cared to say.

But Naruto wanted, no, he needed to know more. He was terrified to ask what happened to the previous people he manipulated just like him. What was that they did wrong and what price did they have to pay? He didn't knew whether asking the man all this was a right thing to do, but he had to do something. He couldn't just stand back idly, watching as the intruder destroys his whole life and threatens the lives of his loved ones.

"If I may ask… what happened to those…unworthy ones." He asked tentatively, not being sure whether it was the right way to put it. Meanwhile Sasuke looked at him with a calculating gaze, as if debating on something, finally though deciding against it he closed his eyes, breathed out slowly and said.

"Of course I killed them… but that would rather be a reward instead of a punishment, so firstly I killed their loved ones in front of them." he said with a faraway look on his face. Thankfully he wasn't looking directly at Naruto, since most probably the blonde wouldn't be able to hide his shock upon hearing such gruesome words being spoken so casually. He had to get to the police as fast as he could, otherwise his dad would become one of the victims as well, and that's the last thing he'd wish for. Once again a sound of laughter brought him out of his inner debate, he looked disbelievingly in the direction of the handsome man.

"You wouldn't believe how stupid they were, running of to the police, even to the press as if hoping it would save their miserable lives." Sasuke said laughing lightly. Meanwhile Naruto though he just lost his sanity. Telling authorities about the horrid man was his only means of salvation, without it how was he able to escape from his clutches. Besides how was it even possible for the man to avoid police so freely. He then noticed the Uchiha looking at him, trying to read his expression - deciphering Naruto's fear as mere confusion he decided to elaborate.

"You see my dear Naruto, I hate this world we have the doubtful pleasure of living in, yet I know it very well. I know how the society reasons and what triggers certain reactions. In order to act freely I had to become a part of it which, although utterly unbearable at times, may come useful. If you hadn't noticed yet I am a quite successful leader of one of the biggest companies in Japan. Let's just say I'm influential enough as to dictate my way of thinking to the media or virtually any authority. Having a good name also allows any doubts from the societies to subdue, to say it bluntly, the world we live in feeds on corruption and I am one of the very top figures, thus I can see everything, know everything and do as I please." he said with an arrogant smile on his face, however, each time he mentioned being a part of society an involuntary shiver went through his body, one that was definitely unwelcomed. He ended hi speech just as they left the park and entered a busy street right outside of it. They came across a black limo parked beside the exit, one man greeting Sasuke with a bow and opening the back doors.

"Come Naruto, we'll take a ride." He said stepping into the car, not even turning back to assure himself that the blonde would follow him, as he was already certain of that.

The blonde didn't like the looks of it. He was still trying hard to digest the new information which he couldn't quite comprehend, or simply didn't want to agree with the fact that it seems that the psychopath had complete control over him and there was nothing he could do about it. Earlier he sought police as a way to his salvation, surely they would imprison or even kill such a criminal. Now, however, everything started to make sense. He knew he had heard the name Uchiha before but due to his constant shock he couldn't quite place it, even though it was so painfully obvious. The Uchiha corporation was known all around Japan and not only. It was often mentioned in television especially due to the controversial murder of all of the members of the family except the young heir who, upon being the last member of the family, was nominated as the head of the corporation. And even though there were countless investigations, the police efforts were all fruitless – they never found the murderer.

"Was it…!" Naruto couldn't help but shout out a few words before he managed to calm himself down. He knew better than to ask Sasuke whether he was the one who killed his whole family, not only because it was risky to do so, but also because he was sure the man was insane enough to do it, thus there was no reason to ask.

"Is there something you want Naruto?" Sasuke asked impatience evident in his voice. "If no then just be a good boy and come in."

The blonde, much to his horror, obliged telling himself that there wasn't much he could do, or so he liked to believe, excusing his action he knew were cowardly. He could let the man kill him, that would be quick and simple and most probably the best solution for everyone. But what he couldn't bear was the thought of the same thing being done to his father. He would not allow the man he loved so dearly to suffer. Thus he decided that even if solely for the sake of Minato, he will go along with the man's crazy wishes, at least as long as he'll manage to endure it. Perhaps the man will be bored with him and will just leave him be after some time. He didn't want to be delusional, but had to hope, otherwise he might as well collapse, loosing all of his sanity. Deep inside, however, he was aware of the fact that not only for his father's sake, but also for his, he wanted to try and get his life back, because the truth is, he treasured his life dearly and having only one, he wasn't about to give it away so easily.

"Where are we going?" he asked looking indifferently at the scenery passing by the window. He could tell they were heading to a fancy neighborhood, one that he wasn't even thinking of being close to, let alone actually being in one.

"To my house." The man replied and as soon as he said that, the blonde regretted ever wanting to know their destination.

They entered the house which for Naruto was rather a mansion. They traveled down a stylishly decorated hallway, the blonde was not even able to start counting the number of rooms which they passed. One drew his attention though, it had two locks on it meaning that most probably something very important had to be stashed in it, knowing the man however, he didn't even want to assume what could be behind those doors. Just as they were passing the mysterious room the bell rang catching Naruto's attention. Soon after it was followed by a noise of door being opened and distant footsteps. Not too long after a maid appeared.

"Master Uchiha the businessmen you were supposed to meet today just arrived." the lady said bowing to his obviously displeased master.

"Tell him to wait I'll be there in a few moments." he said barely containing the irritation in his voice and turned to Naruto.

"Forgive me but there are some idle things I have to do. It may take a while so be patient and wait, I'll come for you when the meeting's over. I have something special planned for you my sweet." and with that he went off leaving a horrified Naruto behind, who pleaded in his mind that the man wouldn't come up with something sadistic.

And thus he was left alone in the hallway of an expensive mansion, in which even if you put something tawdry it would look like a piece of art worth millions of yens. He therefore decided that the safest way to wait would be simply by sitting on the floor, since the chairs present in the hallway also looked too expensive and easy t break for him. Just as he was about so sit down he remembered the door that drew his attention. Not being able to hold back his curiosity he walked up to it and inspected the locks. It seemed as if they weren't locked properly, or that someone had been in a rush and closed it incorrectly. Either way it left Naruto with a decision whether to risk and walk into the room or just stay put.

He tried pressing slightly at the door, hoping beyond hope that his estimation was wrong and that the door was actually closed. Unfortunately the minute the blonde pressed on it's wooden surface it opened with a small creek revealing a medium sized room. It looked really simple, like an ordinary study room. There was a desk covered with papers and a black leather chair right behind it. What caught his attention though, was a big bureau which resembled a locker with many different drawers all representing a set of alphabetical letters.

Not being able to subdue his curiosity he walked up to the bureau closing the door behind him. He pulled out the last drawer which had letters u,w,z written on it. He opened it an saw many different folders each entitled with a name and a photo attached to it. Despite the vast number of different names he spotted his own immediately, debating a while whether he really wanted to check it's contents. Eventually he reached out for it, only to stop a few folders earlier as a familiar surname stood out of the group. He reached for it instead, holding a folder with the name Uchiha Sasuke written on it. For a moment he wondered who would be crazy enough to gather information on themselves, moreover hold them in a set of documents. But putting reasoning aside the most important thing was to read it's contents and perhaps get to know something more about the man. He opened the catalogue and started scanning it's contents, wanting to know as much valuable information as he could. The blonde started reading.

_Uchiha Sasuke - _born: July 23 1981, blood group AB.

- Rapport on the patient U. Sasuke 17 August 1990-

The patient – age 9 – has been treated for two years in the St. Katharine Hospital for Mentally Ill. The subject has shown no evidence of recovery. Starting from next month harsher treatment will be implied…

-Rapport on the patient U. Sasuke 21 October 1993-

The patient – age 12 – has been repeatedly treated for the past three years with a new method, any signs of recovery are yet to be shown.

-Additional rapport d2 on the patient U, Sasuke 07 May 1992-

The patient has shown recurrent tendencies to hurt himself. He has…

Suddenly Naruto heard footsteps nearing the room he was currently in and panic swelled in him. He looked in the direction of the door and almost like in a slow motion film he saw the door knob slowly being turned. On the verge of panic, knowing full well how harsh the reaction of the psychotic man could be if he saw him there, he released the folder which landed on the floor and jumped under the desk. It was constructed in a way that didn't allow anyone to see beneath it while standing in the door. However, if it was really Sasuke and he decided to come near the desk from the other side Naruto knew it would be a lost case. Just before he heard the door open fully he reached out for the folder and scooted it a closer to the desk, though not close enough to hide it fully under the furniture.

The door opened and in walked Sasuke. He went up to the desk and started gathering some papers lying on it.

"Matsuda san I will be right back. I'll just get the needed files." he yelled in the general direction of the corridor where most probably his business partner was waiting for him. Using the distraction Naruto quickly reached for the folder and moved it ever so slightly to be sure that not even a part of it would be seen.

"Don't worry Mr. Uchiha, after all we discussed everything faster than I would have thought so I still have some time before the next meeting. I do hope I didn't disturb you too much though." The businessman said standing outside the door.

"Oh no it wasn't a problem" Sasuke said and Naruto could easily sense the false tone in his voice. However, what mattered the most now, was to safely return back to the corridor, being unseen at that. And just when he though everything will go without further complications he saw Sasuke rounding the desk. He saw his legs right in front of him, but as long as the man was so close to the desk, he would not be able to see Naruto from that angle. The blonde waited, his breath caught up in his lungs. All of a sudden, due to the enormous amount of stress, he lost his balance, shifting just a bit. Then, in that dreaded moment, he saw Sasuke's form stiffing for a while and just when he thought all hope was gone, he saw the dark man moving a little again.

"Ah I found the documents Matsuda san." he said taking a few files from the desk.

"Oh that's good Mr. Uchiha I hope that when I go you will have the much needed rest. After all lately there's so much paper work that needs to be done." The man said obviously trying to keep up some small talk to feel the uncomfortable silence that most certainly would occur if not for the efforts of the good natured man.

"I would like to do so but I still have some bothersome documents…." and as he said that Naruto couldn't even comprehend the whole situation , the only thing he registered was a swift movement of the raven haired man who was now kneeling right in front of him, their eyes on the same level. Blue ones filled with indescribable fear met amused black ones. " that yet need to be dealt with." And as he said it he stepped out of the office to walk the oblivious businessmen to the front door, leaving a petrified Naruto behind, still shaking under the desk.

Naruto couldn't believe in what just happened, it all went so fast he couldn't even think clearly. All he knew was that his mind screamed that he should use the chance, run out of the room and dash out of the mansion as quickly as possible, otherwise as far as he knows it he might be already dead. However, no matter how hard his mind was set on running away, his shaking legs protested, making it pretty obvious that even if he tried he would not be able to get out of this place. As he started to consider some other course of action he once again saw legs in front of the desk.

"Naruto, Naruto…" the man called out to him with a mocking voice. "Still hiding there I see. Counting on me forgetting about you? Well…." He said and once again knelled to be on the same level with the terrified blue eyed blonde "that just won't happen." He said raising his voice a notch, his face taking a more vicious expression.

Sasuke took Naruto by the wrist and with one swift movement he literally dragged him from beneath the desk and lead him to another room, still firmly holding his wrist, to a point it was unbearably painful. The room they strode into was quite ordinary looking except for a king sized bed on which Naruto was tossed so harshly he couldn't help a hiss of pain escaping his lips.

The taller man bent over the bed, so that now he was hovering over the shivering form of the blonde. Naruto remembered how unpleasant it felt and how much pain Sasuke caused him last time when he wanted to put his signature on him. Although he had made it evident that he doesn't appreciate hurting the blonde as it will destroy his precious canvas, nevertheless Naruto could never be sure of his intentions. One thing he was certain though, that he didn't like the menacing look Sasuke was sending him, hovering above his smaller form.

Sasuke had both of his hands at each side of the lithe form beneath him, but didn't make body contact. Faces mere inches apart he looked the blonde directly in the eyes, most probably debating what punishment will best suit this kind of situation. After a time of heavy silence, however, he closed his eyes exhaling deeply end lifted himself from the bed. When he opened them, now standing in front of the bed, the traces of anger were gone from his features, replaced with something akin to disappointment.

"Did you read anything that was in the room?" he asked his gaze searching Naruto's features for any sign of lying.

"N..no" the blonde said trying to be as much convincing as he could. His answer was followed yet again by a strained silence, finally though Sasuke spoke.

"That's good then, but remember Naruto you are never, under any circumstances, allowed to go in there. Do you understand me?" he asked and the boy nodded, placating the taller man who once again bent a little to cup the blonde's chin, making the boy shiver involuntarily. "Be a good boy and ask when you need something, ok?".

Naruto noticed Sasuke's mood would frequently change and often times he acted like a mother towards his child. He wasn't sure whether he liked the weird kindness from the man, or whether he was disgusted by it, either way he was sure he preferred it over his anger.

"Now Naruto for the thing I promised you earlier…. I will draw your painting as I want to remember how you looked at the very beginning, before I shaped your inner beauty. I want you to be able to see how much you changed thanks to me, I want you to appreciate it. But before that we have a long way before us and the painting will be a marking of the beginning of your metamorphosis, of the bloom of your beauty." he said, a wicked look in his eyes. Not waiting for any response from the blonde he retreated, most probably to gather the needed utensils.

Naruto didn't like the way the man was expressing his doubtful ideas, but most of all he feared the look on his face when he said them – the look of a true psychopath. Of course he was glad the only thing Sasuke wanted from him was to do his portrait, he could live with that. Pondering about the raven haired man, his thought came back to what little information he managed to read in his office. It seems from a very young age he had serious problems with his mental health, but wasn't it said that every problem has it's cause? Maybe he had lived though something very traumatic in his life, but how horrid would that have to be to create such a terrifying person, void of emotion any sense of morality?

Although he would like to, Naruto couldn't ponder peacefully on the revelations as he was still fully aware of the folder of documents lying on the floor of the said office. If Sasuke finds out it's been moved he will surely suspect him, and if that happens he really doesn't want to even think about the punishment he would be subjected to, for not only reading the forbidden information but also lying to him.

Suddenly he heard footsteps and saw that Sasuke returned to the room with some paint in one hand and a wooden easel in the other, he set everything in front of the bed, near a large window, which illuminated the sunlight throughout the whole room. As he was preparing everything he looked questiongly at the blonde, still sitting on the bed.

"Why are you still dressed?" he asked as it was the most natural question.

"Wha… what for should I get undressed?" the boy asked, unconsciously backing himself to the wooden head of the bed.

"Really Naruto you didn't think I could paint you in your clothes, by doing so most of the beauty would be hidden, wouldn't it?" Sasuke said, his light laughter filling the room.

"Now be quick with it or I'll do it myself, after all it's not as if I hadn't done it already." He said with something akin to a smirk, making Naruto remember the first night at his mansion when he woke up being completely naked.

The boy didn't want to do it, he knew he would be disgusted with himself for almost willingly undressing before his captor, but what was he left to do? He could put up a fight which he would definitely loose or try running away, and even if he, against all the odds, managed to do that he wouldn't be able to ensure his father safety and that he could not allow. Thus deciding that by undressing himself he would perhaps rescue the remains of his honor, he proceeded to unbutton his pants and pulling of his shirt.

When he was left clad only in his boxers he couldn't stand the heavy look he knew the man was sending him. At that moment he wanted to die, simply do anything to stop what was just happening. Not daring to look the man in the eye he hung his head low, closed his eyes and slowly pulled off the last piece of clothing protecting him from the abusive look of the man.

"See that wasn't so hard, was it? Now look this way so I can capture you fully." He said taking one of the brushes and dipping it in some paint. The easel was turned away from the bed so Naruto wasn't able to see the outcome of Sasuke's work and he was glad for it, because he thought that seeing it would make the tears and sobs he so desperately tried to conceal, escape his throat.

"I'm sure you want to be as much part of it as I do, so I'll make you feel the process of creation." he said making Naruto wonder what he meant, he only hoped the man would stay as far away from him as possible. Hopefully he wasn't moving from his place beside the easel, after a moment though he started talking, drawing Naruto deeper and deeper into self destruction.

"I started from painting you hair, your beautiful sun kissed hair which I doubt the whole spectrum of colors would be able to portray adequately." he said making long determined strokes on his canvas… on Naruto.

From the moment he heard those words he felt captured, he hated the man for everything, for ruining his whole life, but, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself from noticing how enticing the man looked right now. From the first time he saw the man he noticed immediately that he was extremely handsome, but looking at him now, in the rays of sun coming through the window he looked ethereal almost angelic. The image made such an impression on the blonde, that he even went as far as wondering whether Sasuke wasn't a fallen angel convicted for his controversial theories.

Looking at the intense movements he made on the canvas, Naruto couldn't help but remember the way Sasuke told him that now he was his canvas. Remembering that and listening to the enticing words of the painter, he could almost feel as if the man was touching him. He was disgusted for thinking this way, but what really terrified him was that he felt his body responding to his imagination, as if anticipating each touch that indirectly came through the canvas. When the Uchiha explained how he's trying to capture the beauty of his hair, with each stroke he made Naruto felt those white, delicate fingers brush through his hair. He closed his eyes as if tasting the new sensation, one that he never felt before, even with Sakura.

"Now I'm trying to capture your angelic face." _Naruto felt as if the man was cupping his face. _"I started from your fragile eyelashes which belong to the most beautiful eyes on earth, containing the depths of the ocean and the infiniteness of a blue sky." _He almost felt Sasuke's face right in front of him, his delicate lips kissing his closed eyes. _"Then I move my brush to your rosy lips, no one has ever truly tasted before." _Naruto felt strong lips on his own kissing him in a way no one ever could and will be able to, evoking a mountain of emotions he didn't even realize that were in him. Responding to the sensation he open his lips slightly, his eyes still being tightly closed. _"Now my lovely Naruto I'm painting your body. I started with the tip of your toes, and go up your creamy and slender legs." _He felt the man's lips kissing his toes and than slowly making his way up his legs, to his inner tights. _"I then proceed with your fingers, perfectly shaped arms, your vulnerable neck..." _He felt yet again the lips traveling through his whole body kissing and sucking each and every part of it. He tried hard to stifle a moan that threatened to escape his throat. _"Then I capture the sun kissed skin of your perfect abs and put much detail while drawing your round, pink nipples." _Naruto could no more hold the moans that now escaped his lips as he imagined the man sucking his nipples, his hand making ghostly movement, barely touching his sides. _"And finally I paint you length from the very base to it's tip and I repeat that action a couple of times to stress out all the needed details." _Naruto, moaning and panting, could almost swore he felt Sasuke's tongue licking the tip of hic member, his hand making repeated movement up and down the length, simultaneously to the strokes that were done on the canvas. _

"And eventually I make three movement on each of your cheeks to conclude the masterpiece, to make you and everyone else remember that those marks are a sign of you belonging to me." Sasuke said with and evil smile adorning his face, admiring his wok of art, not his painting though, but his real canvas that was now panting and moaning, screaming his name as cum dripped from his member.

"You are mine Naruto."


	5. Love and Loss

Chapter 5 - Love and Loss

by Kuroi-Urufu

--

Naruto woke up from his dream, or what he liked to believe was a dream. Surely all those strange things his memory was coming up with could not possibly be real. However, having gone through all those insane things he experienced lately, he was no longer sure of his sanity. Normally he would never believe that some images of him being painted naked by a guy would be a part of reality. But after all those things happening to him lately he was no more able to draw a firm line between a dream and the reality. If possible he would like to believe that everything that happened these past few days was a part of a very bad nightmare, the worst he had since he was born. But the luck obviously wasn't on his side.

"You're awake?"

Naruto opened his eyes in panic after hearing a husky voice speaking something directly into his ear. His body was paralyzed with fear, as he opened his eyes and saw the already too familiar features of the beautiful dark haired man. Only then did he start realizing his situation. He was lying in a huge bed, covered with silky sheets, in a room that could be a living quarters of a king at least. But that wasn't the worst part, what really made him worry was that he felt he was naked and on top of that he was being embraced by the very source of his nightmares, Uchiha Sasuke. This led him to yet another, gruesome discovery. What his mind remembered in vague pictures from yesterday was not a dream. He, Uzumaki Naruto, had an erection in front of his captor, the man he hated the most, caused only by the sensual words of the man. He felt utterly disgusted with himself.

"I couldn't just leave you lying like that now could I?" the man smiled gently making it seem almost as if he cared, as if he wasn't looking at a mere canvas but at his lover. Still Naruto knew better than to believe in the gentleness the man showed him, the only thing he wanted from the blonde was to use him and to destroy him in that process, he was sure of it.

"You looked so vulnerable yesterday, I didn't think you'll faint though." He said with a snicker, which somehow made him seem more human. The words, however, were humiliating to Naruto who would rather die than admit to anyone that what happened yesterday was real.

"Anyway, I have a surprise for you" the man said slowly standing from the bed and moving towards a door behind which, Naruto could only guess, was the bathroom. Hopefully he was nowhere near naked, actually almost every inch of his body was covered by a black, silky night robe. For a moment it made Naruto dwell on the taller mans body, whether it was as porcelain white everywhere else as it was on his face, or as delicate as his fingers.

"Don't you want to know what the surprise is?" he asked entering the other room which indeed proved to be a bathroom.

The voice made the blonde regain his senses and think about his current position. He was still naked, lying on the bed of Uchiha Sasuke, vulnerable to any ideas that may come to the psychopaths head. The blonde frantically scanned the room in search of anything he might wear, that would at least make him feel a little more safe, if it was even possible to accomplish considering the close vicinity of the insane man.

"Su…sure I want to know." Naruto decided it was best to do things accordingly to what the man wanted, at least for now.

He finally spotted his boxers lying discarded on the floor. When he was in the middle of the process of putting his orange pants on, which he found lying somewhere under the bed, he suddenly stilled in his movements as Sasuke entered the room. Upon seeing the blonde, or rather his clothes, he made a disgruntled face.

"I don't want you to wear such horrid clothes. Since you'll be living with me, I'll take care of your clothes." he said offhandedly.

"Wait what do you mean by living with you?" Naruto responded with a fierce glare, not being able to contain his anger at the mere thought of sharing a house with the man he despised.

"I thought you would be happy?" Sasuke said somewhat sadly, which to Naruto sounded rather ridiculous.

It was strange seeing him like that, Naruto would never even deem it possible for the man to resemble a normal human being. But what he saw in front of him, he concluded, was genuine sadness. If not for the previous actions of the man he would feel sorry for him…almost.

"Anyway from now on you'll be living with me, after all I have to keep a close eye on the development of my canvas don't I?" he asked making his way towards the blonde and cupping his face in his hands.

Meanwhile Naruto only tried to suppress a shudder of disgust running down his spine. There was one thing though, one though to be exact, that made the blonde terrified. The thing was that he was not sure whether the shudder he felt was indeed caused by the repulsion he felt for the taller man, or was it…

"But that, my Naruto, is only a part of the surprise I have for you. What I actually had in mind was to tell you that from today you're a student of the Konoha Academy of Arts. You know the place?" Sasuke asked looking at Naruto as if he was examining his face inch by inch with a not faltering fascination, or was it satisfaction, the blonde was no longer able to tell.

Did he know the place? The school that everyone talked about, the pride of Konoha institution, the place where only the most talented could enter at a price of working day and night, practicing their talents to reach absolute perfection. Oh yes, he knew the place and that's why he hated the idea.

"I can't go there I'm not talented enough to…." Naruto tried to protest but was soon silenced by a hand covering his mouth.

"I don't want to hear any whining from you. I'm sure you are more than able to learn there, or are you saying that I have an ill judgment?" Sasuke said, his voice rising.

Naruto didn't like where this was going.

"Perhaps you want to imply that my expectations were too high? Did I not tell you that I have a perfect sense of beauty? Was I not clear enough when I said that you were the canvas I was looking so long for!" he practically yelled making Naruto's eyes cloud with tears, as the man, driven by an impulse, forcefully pushed the blonde making him trip and land on the bed.

Naruto tried not to cry but right now he could not stop the few tears that ran down his face. However, despite his fear, he opened his eyes and looked directly into the coal black ones. Sasuke was standing at the edge of the bed, breathing heavily, an angry look on his face. It looked as if he was having an inner battle, some part of him wanted to stop this while the other wanted to hurt the blonde more, or so he believe.

He raised his hand and Naruto, closing his eyes yet again, was embracing himself for the worst. Alas nothing came though, he reopened his eyes and saw the man's hand entangled in his raven hair, the angry expression replaced by an annoyed one.

"Your school uniform is in the wardrobe, take a shower and get dressed. I'll meet you in twenty minutes in the hall. As it is your first day I'll give you a ride." he said and went out of the room, leaving the shattered blonde behind.

--canvas--

Until the time they arrived at school everything was rather uneventful. Naruto did as he was told not wanting to dwell anymore than it was needed on his current situation. He did enough of that this past few days and as he already decided, for the safety of his father, he will go with the flow. Time will show where it will lead him.

When they entered the school Sasuke was walking in the front, Naruto following close behind. The tall man said he had something to talk about with the headmaster. And so they went through the corridors of the school receiving hostile looks from students as well as the teacher. It wasn't a surprise though, Naruto knew what to expect considering that probably most of the 'canvas' Sasuke had were also forced to join this school. No wonder everyone send him glares, after all they probably think he entered the school only thanks to Sasuke's reputation, which was actually true except for the fact that he was there against his will.

"Ok wait here while I talk over some essential things with the headmaster." The taller man said pointing to a bench on the school corridor.

Some time passed as Naruto heard excited noises and the sound of footsteps nearing the place he currently was in. When he turned around he saw three boys, more less his age. They were all wearing school uniforms so he concluded that they all must be students, perhaps a year above him.

"Hi there, we heard there was a new student coming so we decided we could stop by and give a few tips about life in this school. So I suppose it's you right?" The taller of the three asked.

After receiving all those fierce glares it was quite refreshing to find someone who wanted to become friends. Although Naruto didn't' really care about this place he decided that getting to know some people could not hurt, right? Thus he nodded to the boys.

"Ok so this is Akahito" he said gesturing to a smaller boy to his left "and this is Fuhito" he continued this time pointing to a boy wearing large glasses. "And I'm Utsu" the tallest said.

"So how about giving you a little tour around our school?" Utsu asked smiling to the blonde.

"Yeah, why not." Naruto replied and followed the boys. They were going through different rooms, the three students chatting animatedly. The blonde was a social person and making new friends always proved easy for him. This time however, with the emotional turmoil he tried to suppress, he was merely nodding and trying hard to pay attention to what they said, non of it, however, did he find particularly interesting.

He no longer remembered the number of turns they did, going through the school corridors, which seemed more like a maze to him. Finally though, they stopped in front of a room at the very end of a rather secluded hallway.

"Now this is something you'll surely find interesting." They said showing enthusiasm and ushered the blonde to enter the room.

When the blonde did so, he was surprised to say the least, since what he saw was a mere bathroom. Perhaps they had some secret meetings here or something, there was always a kind of a hideout place in his previous schools so Naruto could only suspect it was it. Soon however, his thoughts were being answered, unfortunately for him, not in the most pleasant of ways. He was shoved straight into the wall by one of the boys whereas the two other held his hands, successfully immobilizing him.

"What the hell?" Naruto yelled sending questioning looks towards Utsu, who was standing right in front of him.

"You wanna know what is gong on? I'll tell you what! We have enough of Uchiha's toys making fun of this school. You're mocking us, making fun of our hard work and sacrifices we make to be accepted here. Do you even realize how hard my dad works day and night to be able to pay my tuition? I bet you don't, you're just an Uchiha fuck toy and I bet you're father is the same egoistical and selfish prick as you are! Your life is just a silly little game for you, right? And all you have to do is sell your body and…."

He wasn't able to end his sentence as Naruto, driven by sheer rage, managed to get one of his hands loose and planted a direct hit into Utsu's face. It was just so fucking unfair to be treated by other people like that, whereas in fact, he was the complete opposite of what the boy had just said. It wasn't his fault that his life turned out like this for him.

"Hold him down! I'm not finished with him yet!" Utsu said and once again got closer to the blonde this time though, his face was bleeding from the punch he had just received. Suddenly the boy smiled, an evil grin plastered to his face.

"Since you're so eager to pay for what you get with your body I think I'll test your abilities." The boy said and started to unbuckle Naruto's jeans. The blonde started trashing and swearing, somehow trying to change the odds. He was a great fighter but with the way they were holding his hands he couldn't do anything. If only he hadn't let his guard down, then perhaps he would stand a chance.

When Utsu dropped his jeans to his ankles and was about to take off the blonde's pants Naruto started to sob and shake uncontrollably. He tried to treat it indifferently or simply stop the crying but he wasn't able to. Every emotion he felt the past few days came crashing down on him. Fear, hearted, desperation, frustration, everything simply burst like a bubble. Why was life so unfair for him, why did he have to endure so much? Just when he thought that the worst part was over, this happened. He was desperate to leave the last bits of pride he had left but how was he to accomplish that when there was no route of escape? He had nobody he could ask for help, he was all alone. Nobody could save him, not anymore.

Just when Utsu was about to take off his pants the blonde once again started struggling and before he realized it himself, he was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Sasuke!! Please help, Sasuke!" he yelled repeatedly, tears running down his face.

"Stupid no need to scream no one is going to hear you inside here, besides your precious little Sasuke is gone already so that leaves us all alone…" the boy stopped abruptly as the sound of door being opened could be heard.

The blonde raised his head, new tears threatening to spill from his eyes. There, in the door, stood Sasuke with a rather stoic look on his face. Actually his expression was blank, completely void of emotion which surprised Naruto. He was expecting the man to be furious, mad at least, still he was grateful he didn't just walk away and instead searched for him.

When the three boys saw who the man standing at the door was, they panicked mumbling apologies and running away, fear filling their eyes. And yet again, to Naruto's utter surprise Sasuke just stepped out of their way, creating a clear passage for them and a route to escape. The taller man simply observed as the boys ran away and then faced him again. Naruto didn't know why but he started to cry again, his back sliding against the wall until he was sitting on the bathroom floor, his face burrowed in his hands. He heard Sasuke's soft strides and how he stopped right in front of him. What happened next surprised him for the man knelled down and hugged him. This made his sobs increase as he felt the warmth of the handsome man.

"I told you dobe didn't I? You were supposed to stay put. Next time try listen to what I have to say." He murmured in a soft voice and when the blonde stopped crying he simply got up and left the room. Everything went silent as Naruto was yet again left to sort out his emotions.

--canvas--

Naruto was sitting in the last class he had today. Some of the lessons were quite interesting, thankfully he was able to choose himself what subjects interested him the most. This way he tried to pick only theoretical subjects such as history of art, which didn't really require any talent at all. Unfortunately for him every student had to take at least one subject that required some practical skills. In the end he decided to take the cello classes. He never actually played the instrument since he couldn't afford it, but he always wanted to give it a try one day.

Still the blonde hated the school mostly for it's atmosphere, or rather the atmosphere everywhere where he went. Students as well as teachers animosity towards him was more than evident and although to some extend he did understand their feeling, he could not believe people could be as cruel as the boy Utsu and his friends, if it even was his real name. Even though in the end nothing really happened he was still shaken by fear and did not dare to venture alone in any secluded areas of the school.

And it was during his last class that something strange happened. Suddenly he heard raised voices outside his classroom. The room he was currently in resembled an auditorium rather than a normal class. Every room on that floor had the same look since they were all used for instrument practices. So it was in the middle of his first cello lesson that he heard a loud noise outside, on the hallway. Of course everyone led by curiosity stopped their practice to see what was going on.

When the blonde went out he saw everyone going towards the biggest room on the floor, the so called Concert Hall. So he ran in that direction to see what was going on. When he stepped in he took a quick glance around the hall noticing a big curtain on the very left behind which laid some things that were needed for the staff like brooms, buckets a ladder and similar objects. He didn't pay much attention to the layout of the room, however, as he suddenly noticed the reason of the ongoing chaos. There, in the middle of the room, a boy hung on a rope which encircled his neck, making him suffocate. But the boy wasn't dead, he was still desperately struggling for air, his silhouette writhing, hands reaching for the rope around his neck, trying to loosen it up just a bit so that he could catch his breath. It couldn't be a suicide since the boy obviously fought to stay alive, someone had to do it, someone had wanted the boy to suffer. For Naruto, however, the identity of the culprit was more than obvious, as the hanging boy was Utsu himself.

As he was slowly making his way through the crowd towards the struggling boy, he heard panicked voices yelling.

"Quick find something to climb on, the poor boy is going to suffocate." A teacher yelled which was followed by a few 'but what' from the disorientated pupils. Everyone wanted to help, but as it usually happens in such situations, they didn't know how to react properly. Thus some people were yelling , some were running frantically in and out to find something high enough to reach the boy. He hung very high and no one was able to reach him, to help him in his agony.

And Naruto saw just a moment ago where a ladder was hidden. But he did not tell. Not yet.

He was now standing directly under Utsu, looking in the eyes of the boy who tormented him not long ago. What he felt for him wasn't pity but hatred, he wanted him to suffer, wriggle up there, above all those people like a puppet on a string, trying desperately to survive. He felt satisfaction, looking in the terrified eyes. He didn't want the boy to die, he'll just watch him struggle for a few seconds longer, after all he deserved it.

"You know" he said quietly so that only Utsu would hear him" I would help you… but since life is only a game for me then maybe my whim is to see one of the players die..hmm?" he said with a smirk, telling himself that he should wait just a few more seconds before informing everyone about the ladder.

What he didn't notice though, was that if he was able to see himself now, talking to a boy on the verge of dying, he would not see himself, but a stranger with the cruelest of expressions. Because everyone has a demon inside of them, it's just that some people decide not to set it free.

"I... Now I remember I saw a ladder at the entrance behind the right curtain, but I'm not sure!" Naruto yelled as he saw that the boy already got what he deserved for. He tried to sound panicked to be convincing and it seemed to have worked as everyone just rushed to the place mentioned by him, no one even paying attention to whom had just said that. And so they took out the ladder and one of the teachers hurriedly climbed up and released the boy from the tight rope, only to find that Utsu was no longer struggling.

"I'm afraid we were too late." He said with sadness written all over his face. Some students started sobbing, some still couldn't believe what had just happened, and one stood rooted to the spot a blank expression on his face. Suddenly in came running an older man, by the look of his clothes Naruto could assume that he was a gardener at the school. He made his way towards the middle of the hall, pushing and even knocking down everyone that was in his way. When he finally stood in front of the body one of the teachers said.

"I'm sorry if we managed to get him down mere seconds earlier he would have…" but he was not able to end his sentence spoken in a trembling voice as the older man fell down to his knees. He hugged Utsu and while stroking his hair he was repeating hysterically.

"It's alrigtht my son, I'm here, it's ok." The gardener was repeating the words like a mantra, uncontrolled tears flowing down his face.

And Naruto stood there and watched. A blank expression on his face.

--canvas--

When he was driven off to the Uchiha manor he came in silently, not uttering a word, it seemed as if he didn't think at all, just moved mechanically, like a machine set on a task that was supposed to be accomplished. He went into his room, or rather should he say their room. But what did it matter? He took of his jacket and went into the bathroom. The blonde washed his face, his tired eyes momentarily soothing just to meet with the enormous pain of seeing his reflection. No it was not his. The person he was seeing in the mirror could not be him. He was a happy person. A regular guy with a good perspective on his life, moderate ambitions and some expectations, not high though, he was never one to demand much from life. Many things made him happy thus he was easily satisfied. Perhaps he wasn't using his life to the fullest, and maybe even he was wasting it by wanting to be just a part of the flock. But he definitely was not a vile person.

And the person in the mirror was everything he was not. The eyes of the boy, no, the eyes of the man looked cold. You could see in his eyes that life has digested him, only remains left. He was a murderer. Yet the man in the mirror seemed somewhat alluring. He was, how to say it, intriguing, the way you are intrigued and at the same time terrified. He was a man of high ambition and even higher expectation. He was not shallow, far from that actually. He was the person you would ask: 'how does it feel to kill someone' at the same time pretending you never though about that before. He was thinking higher of himself than any regular person. He accepted his inner monster, and more even, he was proud of it.

And he was the canvas Uchiha Sasuke made. The mysterious dark eyed man who slipped into his heart like poison. The man from the mirror was the one that had Uchiha Sasuke in his heart, and whether it was love or anything else, one thing was sure, he was there. It's no point in asking how he got there, how did he slip into his thoughts without even having the intention of doing so. The man in the mirror was shattered by Uchiha Sasuke because he was starting to fall in love with him.

Naruto left the bathroom and entered their room. He heard the recorder play a song he vaguely remember hearing a few times already. Probably it was one of the songs Sasuke liked. The blonde went closer to the recorder and read the name of the song.

Love and Loss by Edward Shearmur.

It was an instrumental piece without any lyrics. It suited the taller man a lot, although what did Naruto know about him actually? What he liked or what he disliked, he had no knowledge of it. He sat on the bed and for a while listened to the tunes that always made him feel uneasy. He looked around the room and noticed Sasuke's briefcase. He suspected he came in while he was in the bathroom, after all someone had to turn the music on. In a few minutes he'll most probably enter through the door, greeting him in his usual manner. With a confident smirk on his face and at the same time with a gentle look in his eyes.

But till that time, Naruto thought, the man harboring feelings for him won't be here anymore.

He got up and went to the balcony. They were on the third floor, high enough, he thought. Outside, underneath the balcony, there was a concrete patio. He climbed on the railing and looked down, his hands and legs shaking.

Loving Uchiha Sasuke is like being addicted to drugs, you can't live without them even though you know they'll kill you. That's why he had to stop it, before he can.

And so he let go of the railing.

--canvas--

I have a surprise for those who are still reading it, despite the long intervals between updates. Next chapter will be from Sasuke's point of view! But you know, every canvas needs reviewers. ;)

Kuroi-Urufu


	6. Shattered

Chapter 6

Sasuke heard a weird noise coming from the direction of his room, or was it outside? He couldn't tell. He was just in the middle of drinking a cup of tea when the sound was heard. Sasuke wasn't a man who was led by curiosity, he always deemed it as the commoners trait. He hated people but at the same time he found them interesting – mostly their stupidity. What he found most amusing is how every single person had thousands of masks, nobody being their true self. It's just as Carl Gustav Jung said in one of his thesis, that people project themselves the way they want to be seen by others. This projection is called a _persona_, thus a dialog between people is not led by themselves but by their personas.

Sasuke believed that everything Jung had said was perfectly right, he noticed it a long time ago while he was still studying. Even among friends everyone acts a tad bit different talking to one friend and then another one. A person is like an animal that strives to survive and thus adapts to it's environment. An environment is created when two people meet and so they have to adapt.

Think about it, think about how you act with two different friends of yours. It's different right? Perhaps not drastically, but you can see those small changes here and there….

And that's what Sasuke finds most amusing, if everyone adapts to those artificially created environments then what's their true nature? It's hidden very well under tons of layers of personas. But people don't want to think about their true nature because it scares them, that's why they can't stand being in complete solitude for long amounts of time, because then they have to face their true selves and often times drive themselves crazy. Sasuke, on the other hand, never wanted to hide his true self, or at least that's what he believed in. He was forced, however, to wear this mask of a successful businessmen, otherwise he would not be able to freely achieve what he wanted. That's just the way the world works.

Sasuke deemed himself as a great observer of people's habits, their way of thinking, way of reacting. But no matter how long or intensely he observed, there were still times he would not, under any circumstances, understand their actions. Take his canvas for instance. He enlightened them, showed them the right path, enabled them to truthfully see. In his opinion they should be grateful for his guidance, for the fact that they were picked above others… but they were not. They foolishly wasted what he gave them.

But not Naruto. Sasuke knew, no, he was sure that this canvas was special. From the first time he laid his eyes on the blonde he knew that he had finally found what he was looking so long for. His outer beauty was perfect from the sun kissed skin or hair that looked like sun itself to his crystal blue eyes, everything about his appearance screamed of perfection. He was also quite delicate with a fragile silhouette only Sasuke was able to admire. The blonde was the complete opposite of himself thus they fit perfectly, the canvas and the artist.

Naruto was also a lot wiser then his previous canvas, Sasuke thought. He felt that Naruto appreciated what he was given, that he knew it's importance. So since he found the perfect canvas all that was left to do was to transform him so that he would become completed, his inner and outer beauty brought to utter perfection. And when that happens he would also be fulfilled.

But there was something different about Naruto. Sasuke could not tell exactly but it was there, clearly it was. It made him react different towards the blonde which wasn't really helping him to 'shape' Naruto as he wished for it to happen. Normally with his previous canvas he would be strict, more demanding, with this one however, he found himself in situations he, himself, didn't understand exactly. Like today for instance, when the blonde ventured off and got himself into trouble. In a situation like that he should simply punish him for disobedience, but instead he consoled him. It was just something about the angelic face of the boy all smudged with tears Sasuke could not stand. Sasuke didn't like the feeling of seeing the blonde cry, it made him feel uneasy, as if he was sick. It hurt him.

Still holding his cup of tea on a small plate he ventured to their room, to once again admire his little work of art. As he entered the bedroom it was very silent, only the quite tunes of Edward Shearmur's compositions could be heard. The blonde was no where to be seen. He checked the bathroom, closet and any possible place the blonde might be hiding in. When he finally settled on the bed, a bit anxious of Naruto's sudden disappearance, the opened balcony window brought his attention. The white curtains were still fluttering gently, brought to life by the spring wind. He stood up and went to the balcony. When he was outside nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The sun was still shining, although almost hidden by the forest visible far away on the horizon. The sun rays made Sasuke feel a bit warm, although the night breeze already settled in the air, making him shiver involuntary. He was just about to return to his room when he looked down, on the concrete patio below the balcony.

And there was Naruto, lying on the patio, blood splattered in different directions. He looked like a doll which, neglected by a child, was thrown on the lowest shelf, it's limbs comically sprawled in all directions. A grotesque view.

---

And for a long while there was silence. Nothing dared to move, no one dared to breathe.

----

Sasuke was looking at Naruto with a blank expression, not saying anything, not even moving. The only sign that he was a living person, rather than a breathtaking statue, was that his hand, the one holding the plate for his tee, was shaking. It's muscles were contracting making the hand squeeze tighter and tighter to a point of breaking. And it did make the small plate shatter to pieces, cutting the still shaking, delicate hand. If one was observing Sasuke right now they would say his hand was detached from his body, which was still as a stone, especially his face, not a muscle twitched. While his left hand, clenched in a fist, still shaking and bleeding, his right one lifted up holding the half emptied cup of tee. And so he resumed drinking, his eyes void of emotions.

Sasuke was looking at his canvas, lying there, vulnerable, discarded, broken and yet still so beautiful… But it was useless, fony like all the other were. He put too much hope into it, his expectations were too high and he was disappointed yet again. So fucking disappointed.

Suddenly a scream could be heard. One of the maids had ventured into the garden and upon seeing the bloodied corps she started screaming hysterically, calling for help yet receiving none. Soon, though, she managed to calm down upon seeing the master of the house standing at the balcony.

"Dispose of the corpse." Sasuke said looking at the maid.

"Wha…what?" she stuttered, her hysteria coming back.

"I said, clean it fucking up!" he yelled at the top of his lungs throwing the emptied cup in the direction of the maid, missing her head only by an inch. The cup broke down on the concrete path she was standing on, the sound of shattered glass making the girl cry.

And Sasuke simply turned around and left the balcony.

----canvas----

Sasuke sat on the floor, in the middle of the room, the painting of Naruto he made earlier displayed before him. He was holding a razor, three cuts already visible on his wrists. He didn't hurt himself because he felt remorse for the blonde, Sasuke told himself. For him cutting was a way to release all anger that welled up in him from time to time. But there was also a thing about seeing his perfect skin being ruptured, full of cuts that would take days to heal. The wounds were so brute on the skin, nevertheless they always disappeared, for you cannot kill beauty.

"You cannot fucking kill something that is beautiful!" Sasuke yelled his hands entangled in his raven hair. Few minutes later a nock on the door was heard followed by a silent creek of the door being opened.

"I…I'm sorry to disturb you master Sasuke." the maid who was supposed to 'take care'of Naruto's corpse entered. She didn't, however, go into the room thus she wasn't able to see her master with his bloodied hands. As no response was given she decided to continue.

"The boy, Naruto was his name…" she started but was cut by an angry voice.

"I thought I told you what to do with him. How difficult can it to be dispose of a body!" he yelled.

"But it seems he's not dead." She uttered almost whispering.

Sasuke's hand stopped involuntary. So what if he wasn't dead? The blonde betrayed him like everyone else, for what he did he should kill him like he had killed the previous ones. He deserves to die. Sasuke was angry, no, furious at the blonde. He wanted him to die, to suffer, because he made him loose hope like all the others did. He decided that he will tell the maid to proceed with disposing of his body and if she disagrees, he'll do it himself.

"You should…" Sasuke began but it seemed like he could not end the sentence, although he tried to.

"I think…"

"You…"

………..

"You should take him to a hospital as fast as you can." He said and once again, could not understand his own actions.

----canvas----

An hour ago Sasuke received a phone from the hospital. They said that Naruto's condition is stable. They deemed it a miracle that the boy survived with little to no injuries at all. He had a few open wounds which were the source of all the blood, he also had a twisted ankle but other than that he was fine. Sasuke just asked them not to inform his father so that he would not worry unnecessarily. If possible he wanted as little people to know about it as was possible.

Few hours had past from the incident and now Sasuke was lying on the bed. It was already late at night, he could assume it was somewhere before midnight. Dark clouds began to accumulate outside taking away the little light the moon was giving. Everything was so peaceful, silent to a point it was scary. Sasuke was always afraid of silence, because he knew that there's a point after crossing which, you regard silence as a separate entity. He once even had a dream about it, or so he believed. In that dream everything was dark, he was lying on a top of a very high cliff and when he looked down he saw a girl, in a white dress, lying on a grave. She was looking directly in his eyes, he could hear, no, feel her heart beating faster and faster, fear evident in her eyes. And suddenly everything silenced, no more did he hear her heart beat. And in that utter silence he spotted something coming out of the forest, he could not identify it, he could not remember how it looked, but it was monstrous, it scared him to death. And Sasuke believed that that was exactly as silence would be like.

He had that dream when he was little and hated silence since. And now, when he was embarked by it all sorts of different things came to his mind, things he rather not remember. His mind started to project things, like colors, places, people and he didn't like that. He rolled into a ball, hands covering his ears, he was shaking a bit, mumbling incoherent sentences to himself, his breathing becoming rapid. He started remembering, all sorts of different flashes entering and leaving his mind, he had no control over them.

"_There's my little boy"__ a blue haired woman said. "I was looking everywhere for you Sasuke, you shouldn't run away like that. What will happen if you do something to that pretty face of yours? Remember that beauty is your talent and we do have to expose it right?"_

….

"_You__'re making us proud the way you are so beautiful." a tall man said._

…

"_What did you think! That you can expose your beauty to everyone and that you will get away so easily with that. I wonder child, what would you do if you were to become ugly?" a man with a rusty voice inquired, his face twisted in a hideous imitation of a smile._

"Enough! Go away!!" Sasuke yelled jumping out of the bed. He had to go somewhere, run away from the silence, run away from the darkness.

---canvas---

Naruto heard a sound, something akin to a door creek, but due to his current condition he was not entirely sure where he was, nor why were there so many weird mechanical sounds surrounding him. He remembered jumping of the window, so surely he had to be dead, right? But he believed that after dying all the physical pain would go away, whereas instead he felt every inch of his body hurt immensely, especially his leg. He always assumed, or better say hoped, that he would be able to go to heaven, that is if there even is anything waiting for us after death. But this, this didn't feel like heaven. Than again what did he hope to achieve after letting that boy die, no, by killing him? So was this hell then? He wasn't sure, but he also wasn't willing to open his eyes and check his suspicions.

Suddenly he felt a weight on the bed, or something similar he was lying on, forcing him to finally open his eyes and face his current situation. The moment his eyelids ceased to give a soothing shadow for his eyes, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. It was probably due to the intensely bright light coming from the lamp that hung in the room. Finally when his vision adjusted to the sharp light and he was able to scan his surroundings. Naruto deduced that he was being kept in a hospital, all sorts of medical equipment registering his breathing and heartbeats. The discovery made it easy to assume that he had survived his suicidal attempt. It wasn't very fortunate, after all it required lot of guts to do it once, thus it was unlikely he'll have the courage to repeat the action again, and to once again experience the pain.

Anyway if the question of hell was out of the way, what was the strange movement he felt on his bed, moreover what was the weight he felt on his stomach? Needing to identify it, Naruto looked down and his eyes met with a cold stare. Sasuke was lying on the hospital bed with him, one of his arms draped around the blonde's waist, his head on the boy's chest. When their eyes met Naruto felt a wave of panic wash through him, he knew that since he was alive sooner or later he'll have to face the man, he only hoped it would be later. Much, much later.

For a moment both of them stared at each other, embarking the heavy silence that surrounded them. Naruto waited for the worst to happen, having almost every kind of a scenario pictured vividly in his head, from a panic attack to a brutal murder. However he was greatly surprised when he felt Sasuke's delicate hand lift from his stomach and touch his cheek in a very gentle manner.

"Can I stay here tonight?" the taller man asked with a strange, sad look in his eyes. The man seemed defeated, the confident look long gone, as if it never even existed. Strangely it made the blonde irritated, for whatever he might have despised Sasuke for, seeing him helpless like that made him feel insecure. But what he saw next, even he wasn't able to predict in one of his so called scenarios. On the beautiful, porcelain face of the man who used to be so confident in what he did and believe in, he saw tears. He didn't cry out loud, instead sobbing quietly as if he didn't even realize that the tears belong to him. While his face reminded Naruto of an emotionless mask, the slight movement of his shoulders was the only proof of the fact that Sasuke was the owner of the tears which now began to streak down his face and onto the hospital sheets.

Looking at Sasuke's perfect face, with tears still spilling from his eyes, it reminded him of an angel, or rather a fallen angel that in it's awkward way of understanding strives to find real beauty in a world filled with filth and ugliness. Seeing despair in those beautiful black eyes, Naruto did something he never thought he would be capable of doing when it concerned the dark haired man.

----canvas----

Sasuke felt the blonde move, but he wasn't surprised. If the blond hated him to a point of killing himself just to be able to escape from him, why would he agree to spend the night with him. But who, if not Naruto, was he to ask for such a favor? Was he even willing to ask anyone else?

Suddenly he felt two warm hands cupping his face, wiping away something wet from his cheeks. Was he crying? If so he hadn't even noticed it, now however, what truly captured his attention was the warmth Naruto's hands gave off. Was it even possible to be so warm? Maybe due to the injuries he suffered, his body temperature had risen. Then again perhaps it was normal and it's just his lack of experience in this area that made him so shocked about the sensation. Did no one ever touch him in that manner before? Well he believed his mother did, but her hands were always cold, ice cold even.

Sasuke then noticed the blonde change his position and felt those warm hands gently making him lower his head, until it was lying in the blondes lap. He was not sure how to react when yet again something unfamiliar to him happened. The taller man felt the blonde place one hand on top of his head and slowly streak his hear. It wasn't something he hadn't done yet, but it's only now that Sasuke realized that this gesture was never returned to him. He often brushed his fingertips through the hair of his canvas but he never realized that it might feel so… He always treated it as a rather meaningless gesture, just mimicking it from what he saw when two lovers met. Maybe it's just that Naruto has this special effect on him, if it wasn't the blonde would he have felt the same?

But for once Sasuke didn't want to ponder on the possibilities, he didn't want to observe, to calculate. He just wanted to enjoy what he felt and if possible make it never end. He felt as if something invisible was lifted from his shoulders, something which existence he didn't even notice before, only now that it was gone did he realize how heavy the 'thing' was. As the blondes delicate fingers, entangle in his raven haired, brushed through it, Sasuke curled on the side of the bed his body pressed to the tanned one.

Suddenly, when he felt the boy's hand raising he almost whined, lifting his head just a bit not to lose the comfortable heat. He then felt Naruto's delicate fingers skim above the freshly dried wounds he made on his wrists.

"Why did you do that?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke didn't know what to say. He often asked his canvas the same question but he never was on the receiving end. What was it exactly that made him want to cut his hands in the first place? Somehow now every reason he came up in his mind seemed senseless and pathetic.

"Well if you're doing such thing to yourself how about I do them too?" the blonde asked.

"No, you're not allowed to!" Sasuke yelled in response lifting his heads up sharply, his angry gaze meeting the blue eyes.

"Well then your not allowed to do it either!" the blonde said trying to look fierce, instead looking stubborn as if he was pouting.

Sasuke didn't know what to make of the blonde. He didn't know whether he'll still be here when he opens his eyes again, or whether yet again he'll have to digest a grotesque vision of the blonde lying lifeless, his limbs scattered, covered in blood. But for now, just for now…

He leaned his head and kissed the blonde and although he thought he experienced it hundreds of times, this night proved him wrong yet again. He did it a bit clumsily with a nervous feeling in his stomach, probably because he always wanted to do everything perfect, or at least that's what he told himself. He closed his eyes and kissed the blonde ever so gently, experiencing the softness of his lips. And when they finally had to break for air they opened their eyes for a moment, their dazed gazes met just to close their eyes and kiss yet again. And then again and again and again.

Tbc

I know this chapter came out… a bit strange… but don't you think that even a murderer deserves a few moments of happiness? Anyways as you see I really want to continue and end this story it's just that I'm updating rarely… I know…but Japanese is killing me…

So anyways as a Christmas present I'll gladly accept a nicely wrapped review ^^ Who knows maybe I'll manage another chapter till then. So till next time and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. (Should I include Sasuke's point of view more often?).


	7. Bittersweet

Chapter 7 Bittersweet

by Kuroi-Urufu

After a few more days of recovery Naruto was released from the hospital. Despite the things that happened lately, everything seemed relatively fine. During the time he had to stay in the hospital, Sasuke visited him regularly. He was the only visitor since no one else was informed about the 'accident' and the blonde was thankful for that. While the occasional visits from the dark haired man took place, everything too, seemed relatively normal. Sasuke would bring some food and essentials and they would have a decent conversation. During the third day, Naruto was reluctant to admit, he waited impatiently for the taller man, missing his company in the lonely and grey days that stretched to no end. It reminded him of a recent conversation he had with Sasuke.

"You really don't suit here." The taller man said standing by the window, watching the fallen leaves being mercilessly scattered by the early autumn wind.

"I don't think anyone is 'suited' for a hospital" Naruto replied. "So what makes me so special?"

"You still have a narrow perception of what is going on around you." Sasuke said, arrogance evident in his voice. He turned his head towards the blonde, his eyes looking cold and distant as always, his usual look of superiority cast his way. Naruto hated it when the Uchiha looked at him like that, it made him feel small and insignificant. It's as if those eyes made anyone believe everything Sasuke said is the ultimate truth . Like they belong to a god who gets to decide which life was worth a while and which was completely worthless. Most of them, of course, belonged to the second category.

Sasuke Uchiha's eyes could not be categorized under any normal rules. For Naruto those were 'dead eyes' or at least that's what he liked to call them. They looked at everything with boredom, as if they saw everything life had to offer and still were dissatisfied with the contents. He didn't belong to this life, he was, in a some weird sense, above life, above any categorizations. But there were times… there were times he would look at him and his eyes would seem vivid. It wasn't easy to spot but it was there, he was sure of it. Like now, Sasuke looked at him with this look of superiority, but when their eyes met, they momentarily softened, as if regretting to use harsh words that were directed towards him. Of course he could just be mistaken, but if indeed he was the only one that made those eyes glint, then, in some weird sense of a way, he was proud of himself.

Meanwhile Sasuke moved towards his bed, describing the concept he had in mind.

"There are thousands of people that crave what's average. They cling to what is mediocre and thus remain in this grey zone, a hospital so to say. Buddhists call it 'samsara' which means being caught in the circle of life and death. By craving the small and insignificant things our souls cling to this life and make it miserable, average. Half of the people that are here have an illusionary disease and because they're cowards they spend their lives here, undergoing all sorts of tests. Whereas the other half that in fact has a disease, waists the opportunity of finding beauty in pain. Did you know that what's most pure usually comes from pain? I'm not talking about physical agony but about the agony of a soul." Sasuke said walking up to Naruto's bed and sat on the verge of it, leaning his head so that their foreheads touched, the closeness making the blonde feel a bit intimidated.

"Well if so, then what am I doing here? Why am I being hospitalized, isn't that what you call 'clinging to what's average'? the blonde inquired despite being face to face with him. Sasuke was a ticking bomb, and he was never sure when he would 'set it off'.

"You weren't the one that wanted to come here, now were you?" the man said smiling slightly, as if he just said something utterly obvious of which meaning only a five year old would not grasp.

"Well then, you were the one that ordered for me to be hospitalized." Naruto said not being able to stop himself and as he saw anger grow in those beautiful black eyes, he knew he should have stayed quiet. Luckily, however, the anger was soon gone replaced by something akin to mild irritation. He then regarded the man as he turned his head slightly and with a mischievous grin, began whispering to his ear.

"Because, silly, you're above them." He said kissing his ear, his neck, his cheeks after each word was being said. "You're special."

The few seemingly feeble words and gestures made Naruto's chest tighten so much he was afraid he would suffocate. He didn't want to feel this way, he still wanted to hate the man as much as he did when he was first captured. After all he was the one who took his freedom. Sometimes, however, in those moment when a true human surfaced within the taller man, it was really hard to despise him. Naruto wasn't sure why, but sometimes he pitied the man, as if it wasn't his fault he was so…. displaced.

-----canvas-----

It was yet another mundane day of office work for Uchiha Sasuke. Thankfully he just finished his errands and was now on his way back to the mansion where Naruto would be waiting, finally released from the hospital. If he was ever to decide about the top ten ideas of wasting his life then an office job would be either near or at the very top. Even though he knew that he needed it as a mask, a camouflage to blend into the dull world of humans thus being able to freely explore his needs, he still was disgusted by the mere idea of fitting into an ordinary life routine. Really what was the point? Numerous times he pondered about the stages of human life, each time failing to find a reason good enough to justify the senseless mechanism.

First there is childhood – the stage where every single mistake is based on immaturity and although he dislikes kids, even Sasuke can understand the need for a certain time of growth to allow us to fully develop. The problem was that, in his opinion, 98% of the population stays at the first stage, or rather, their brains cease to function after the initial point.

Most peoples' lives look like this: they strive to gain knowledge at school, although what they really learn is some ridiculous imitation of it – some simple facts the school system declared as essential and thus forces them to believe that that is what they need. When finally they're out of school they have to search for a job alas we live in a society where money – a piece of paper or metal created by ourselves – is a thing that decides about who is going to survive and who isn't. Money takes lives. Of course there are people that say it's fate, or the work of some higher deities like God, Devil, Marduk, Amaterasu. For Sasuke they can blame whoever they like, but the fact's a fact, they created a spiral of death. People created a machine of self destruction.

At that Sasuke chuckled 'now wouldn't it make them the biggest masochistic population ever?' The sad thing, however, wasn't the fact of the circle of life and death itself but the fact how miserable they made the death look by leaving senseless, useless lives, striving to satisfy simple cravings lower than those of animals, for at least animals don't have conscience to actually realize what they're doing.

So at the end they come to a point when they are forced to look at their lives. In Sasuke's opinion, that has to be the most terrifying moment for them, seeing the misery of it all. Thus it's not the death people fear but the life, their individual life because only then are they forced to see the destruction they did, the way they crumpled their existence in thousands of broken pieces. Even supposing someone was the president of a country, or a successful billionaire or even a saint, where has their individuality gone to? Where is the 'I' in the word president, billionaire, saint. There isn't because there isn't any soul in it, it's just a word, an institution, a label people had come up through the ages and now they are just the designates that fill them. A liquid form without any initial shape, that can be easily tempered with. They're a substance that fills out the form of a saint, and then, for instance, being filled with rage they kill a person which is followed by transferring their liquid mass to the object of a sinner. And so people live their lives, defined by other people. Not even once stopping to think in the self induced spiral. Not knowing that life is what will truly terrify them at the end.

But Sasuke did stop and think. And he found the answer in beauty. He admits it took him long to find the perfect one, but finally he did. Naruto was the one that, with his guidance, will help him discover utter beauty and overcome the final fear of a life that was useless.

He finally reached his mansion, hurrying out of the car towards his room where he ordered his servants to take the blonde. Oddly he noticed that since the time he acquired his new canvas, he's ending his work faster than usual, as if lately he had less business related issues to attend to. Of course he wasn't going to complain.

At a steady peace he climbed up the stairs and reached the designated room, turning the knob as quietly as he could, in case the blonde was sleeping. As he proceeded into the room, his assumptions proved to be correct, and a view of a sleeping blonde met his eyes. To look at the blonde boy, nestled in the sheets of his bade made him feel… calm, as if Naruto was a natural part of the room, never to be removed.

Approaching the blonde he saw the small figure shiver slightly, probably due to the rooms low temperature he was used to. He scanned the room for an additional blanket as he didn't want Naruto to get sick and yet again stay at a hospital. Sasuke had enough of the view of the beauty of his canvas being caged in the grey walls of the hospital. Remembering the hateful place his mind came across the memory of the night he stayed with the blonde. He remembered Naruto placing his hands on his cheeks and how hot they were, it nearly made his face burn, which gave the Uchiha an idea.

-----canvas------

Naruto opened his eyes awakened by the noises he heard inside the room. When his eyes finally adjusted to the surroundings he realized he was face to face with Sasuke, the palms of the taller man cupping his cheeks. His startled brain could not process any information effectively thus he only looked at the man, a shiver running up his spine as he finally registered the coldness of those hands touching his face. At that the dark haired man released the boy's cheeks and quietly observed the blonde. He looked a bit crestfallen, he's eyes showing something akin to helplessness, soon though he stood up and with determined strides left the room towards the bathroom.

It was all too sudden for Naruto to react properly, he didn't even know what Sasuke wanted from him. Was he holding him like that because he wanted to kiss him? And since he shivered he mistook it as repulsion? But when did the dark haired oppressor care about what he thought? Still maybe it would have been safer for him to somehow conceal the shiver? It might have ticked off the taller man, which was something Naruto tried to avoid especially since they were doing quite good lately.

Suddenly he herd a sound of water being turned off, not realizing it was running before, and saw Sasuke emerge from the bathroom. In few strides the man was once again sitting at the side of the bed, pressing his palms to the Naruto's cheeks, this time, however, they were warm. They were actually so hot Naruto wondered whether it didn't hurt the Uchiha since it seemed they would have to be put under boiling water to achieve such warmth.

"Do you feel warm now?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto merely nodded, still being stunned by the man's bizarre behavior. However it seemed to be enough as now, the usually composed man, had genuine mirth in his eyes. He then stood up and walked up to the large wardrobe near the door. Naruto knew this meant that the man wanted to do yet another painting of him. Actually he did that a lot lately, this paintings, however, where a lot different than the one he took first. The blonde tried to forget the embarrassing occurrence, willing all the negative feelings to subside.

The paintings Sasuke took of him this past few days were normal – ones that didn't require the blonde to be naked for which the smaller boy was really grateful. Actually, lately there were quite a lot of things he was grateful for. Observing Sasuke this past few days made him realize just how much the man changed. He was more civil, more human but of course he still had those strange habits of his. What Naruto also couldn't comprehend was Sasuke's way of thinking – all his thoughts were so calculated and pessimistic. He always pointed out the bad things, especially in humans, always criticizing them. Naruto, on the other hand, was an optimistic person, he always preferred to see the good parts. He didn't, however, express his thoughts freely, as he was still afraid of the taller man. Even despite all the positive changes, Naruto could not ignore the fact that Sasuke was still the person who held him in his house against his free will. But what was even more frightening was the fact that the seemingly nice man that was now sitting in front of him, killed people, and probably wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

"We'll do a sketch on the balcony, I think today the sun will compliment your eyes perfectly" Sasuke said already stepping out on the broad balcony. Naruto trailed behind, still deep in thought. When he was outside, for the first time that day, he realized how beautiful the weather was. The sun was shining up in the sky, warming up his skin. He felt as if his body was actually eating up the warm rays he was deprived of. Usually he was an active person, spending a lot of his free time outside that's why seeing the blue sky made him miss the freedom he once had. Back then he hadn't appreciated it as much as he would now, since back then he still thought of freedom as something granted, something that would never be taken away from him.

"When will I be able to go outside again?" he decided to ask in a small voice.

"You're free to go outside whenever I'm with you." Sasuke said with an indifferent voice while setting the aisle on the right level.

"No, I mean without you."

This question obviously made an impact on the taller man who stopped in his tracks, now paying his full attention to Naruto, his gaze, yet again, making the smaller boy feel uncertain.

"What? Don't you enjoy my company?" he said with a hurt voice, proving that sometimes he could also act as a normal human being.

"No!" the blonde replied, too quickly perhaps to make it seem honest. "B..but you work late and sometimes I would like to go for a walk or something and I'm not allowed to. Besides what happened with the school I was supposed to attend?". Although Naruto didn't really like that school it still was a way to get out of the mansion, even if it was only for a short while.

"Well prove me wrong but as far as I remember the last time you were there, you got yourself into trouble on the first day. And I don't even want to mentioned what happened when I left you alone the last time." He said this time with a stern face, as if he was warning him.

"I am not a baby… Teme!" the blonde retorted because of the indirect insult which, even if half-hearted, still annoyed him. That's why he acted the way he usually did when one of his friends bickered with him – he retorted. But right after the word teme left his lips he quickly clasped a hand on his mouth. He waited in fear for the reaction of the dark haired who was eyeing him intensely.

"Dobe" he said with a slight snicker, eyeing the frustrated blond. "Now be quite and sit still or I'll never manage to finish this painting."

"Fine" the blonde mumbled sitting down on the balcony's railing, deciding it would be a good spot for the painting to be done. Sasuke, however, probably disagreed with the idea as he quickly jumped from his chair and squeezed Naruto's arm painfully, forcing him to sit in a chair opposite to him. Sasuke practically pushed him into the chair and with an angry expression, continued his preparations.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Sasuke finally prepared all of his drawing tools and started his work, finally letting the tensed face muscles relax. Naruto noticed some time ago that every time he painted he had a relaxed expression, it was like painting was the only thing that made him feel content. Or was it the fact that it was he, who Sasuke painted, that made him feel so content? Before going deeper into such thoughts Naruto decided to occupy his mind by asking some idle question.

"Um… so which season do you like the best?"

Just as he expected Sasuke stopped in his tracks just to throw him a look saying 'are you stupid' and continued painting probably deciding that he didn't want to waste his time.

"Autumn" Sasuke answered without taking his eyes of the painting.

"Why?" Naruto, still being surprised that Sasuke answered, decided that perhaps he could pray some more answers out of the stoic man. After a short while of silence, when he thought that he was once again ignored by the artist, he heard an answer.

"Autumn symbolizes the withering life. People always admire it for it's beauty but I don't think that they realize that they're admiring death. That's… interesting." He said and after another moment of silence he added. "So what's yours favorite?"

"Spring because it symbolizes life and I think people do realize that they're actually admiring all the nature coming back to life." Naruto added, irritated by the way Sasuke always admired the negative things.

The Uchiha realized the obvious sarcasm which, opposite to what Naruto though, made him laugh lightly. It was a very rare sight and the blonde always appreciated it.

"I thought you'd say so. Actually you remind me of spring." He said which made the blonde irritated – it somehow made him feel inferior, as if Sasuke was always the one who knew everything while Naruto was the ignorant one.

"So was it the cerulean eyes that resemble the sky or the golden hair like the rays of sun that gave you the hint?" Naruto asked trying to be sarcastic and although he thought that for once he won, the answer actually made the Uchiha smile even more.

"Well, I must disappoint you, but sometimes I do pay attention to things other than beauty itself. By saying you remind me of spring I was talking about your character." He said momentarily taking a break from the masterpiece he was creating.

"So that must mean you don't like my attitude. After all spring is the complete opposite of autumn." Naruto said observing each move of the man sitting opposite to him, waiting for a reaction. Indeed this time Sasuke actually stopped painting and put the tools away on a small table in the corner of the balcony. He turned his gaze towards the blonde and with a calculating gaze said:

"We rhyme, we play, put down and raise up,

Drive mad, support, frustrate, ignore,

Sometimes excite the other times bore,

I live to sleep, you live to wake,

A passion of intellect with hope to create" (1)

Naruto looked at the man who, with a smug face, wanted to announce his victory. But Naruto was never the one to back from a challenge, thus after a short while he said:

"You say it's foolish and I say it's wise,

You say it's black but I counter that it's white,

I say it's astonishing you say it's matter of fact,

-

They say that opposites attract and it must be true,

For it's beyond all logical reasoning why I still put up with you!!!"(2)

Naruto said with a stubborn face trying to be serious, and for once prove that he was superior. Somehow though, when their eyes met they both started laughing out loud, finding the odd situation funny. At times like this Naruto couldn't believe Sasuke was the same person, perhaps if they met in different circumstances they could be friends, best friends even. The blond wished for it to be like this because right now, even if he was feeling comfortable in the presence of the other man, the thought of the man's true nature disallowed him to fully appreciate such moments. There was always this sense of dread and no matter how hard he tried or how much the Uchiha changed, he couldn't get rid of it.

"I didn't know you're a fan of poetry" Sasuke said when finally the laughter died down.

"Well since I've spent the last few days at your mansion I had to do something and you really don't have a lot to choose from." He said off-handedly when suddenly Sasuke's telephone started ringing. He picked up the phone and with every word being exchanged his expression got more annoyed. Naruto knew all too well what it meant.

"I have to go back to the office, there seems to be a problem those incompetent fools can't handle. I should be back in an hour or so." he said and as soon as he finished talking he left the balcony. Of course not without the painting he may or may not have finished. Naruto got used to the fact that Sasuke didn't allow him to see the paintings he made – which actually made the blonde doubtful as to their contents. Maybe it was better not to see them…

As Sasuke left Naruto found himself embraced by the silence in the vast but empty mansion. He didn't like the prospect of boredom but what was he supposed to do? Sasuke made sure that his guards won't let the blonde escape, so after a few unsuccessful attempts Naruto decided it was pointless.

There was one thought, however, that was nagging at him from the time he first set foot in this place. It was the folder he found in Sasuke's bureau in which he read some information about the mental condition of hic captor. The only thing he got to know was that Sasuke was hospitalized at a mental institution but before he was able to read any further Sasuke found him. Luckily he hid the folder under the desk so he wasn't caught red-handed. But was it worth risking the rather stable relationship he was having with the Uchiha? If he was caught there's no way of knowing how bad it might end for him. The memory of the painting session which served as a punishment was enough to get rid of the curiosity. However, at this time of the day the mansion was more or less empty, except for the guards but they usually stayed outside of the house. Besides Sasuke did say he would be back in an hour whereas it would only take him around five minutes or so to skip through the contents of that folder he hid in Sasuke's office.

Thus with his mind set Naruto, ignoring the risk, decided to have a quick look at the documents. He sneaked out of his room and, making sure nobody sees him, made his way to the office. When he finally reached the room it proved to be locked. But since he was expecting it be, he pulled out a small piece of metal wire, which he always carried with him. It was a habit from high school where he used to open the door that led to the roof, where he spent more time than actually attending lessons.

After tempering with the lock for a few seconds he managed to open the door and wasting no time he entered the room, closing the door behind. He started searching for the hidden folder -luckily it was still there, so hiding under the desk for precorsion, he started reading. He skipped through the medical assessments as he already read a few of those the last time but they didn't explain why he was put in a mental institution. When Naruto thought he won't find the needed documents he came across an article from a newspaper.

_Date: 20 March 1988_

"_Parents accused of abusing their child."_

_Yesterday Fugaku and Mikoto U. were accused of abusing their child. Police reports that after a failed attempt at a suicide of their son Sasuke, the brave man who saved him informed the police of what was happening at the U. household. _

"_When I was walking down the street__ from Shibuya station I noticed a figure in the window on the second floor." Says the man who rescued the child. "At first I thought it's nothing out of ordinary but when I came closer I realized it was a young child. I would never even think such a young kid could think of killing himself, so at first I just assumed that the child was left alone at home and without supervision he climbed out the window, having no idea of what the consequences might be. When I saw Sasuke falling, thankfully, I was close enough to mange to catch the small child in time. I was glad the boy had no serious injuries and I wanted to take him back to his house, what I discovered there, however, was something I would have never imagined in my life…"_

_Soon after the police was called and the case had been investigated. As it turned out the parents were forcing their child to participate in videos of explict content. During today's court trial they admitted it was true but for their defense they said that "they had no other way of earning money, so this way they were at least able to feed their child." _

_As it later turned out from psychologist reports Sasuke suffered a serious mental abuse. "As it seems, the suicidal attempt was not caused by being forced to participate in such movies" says one of the psychologists who evaluated Sasuke "but because he wasn't able to take part in them. It appears that being told by his parents that it was good to take part in such films the child didn't see anything wrong in them. The problem was that his parents put extreme pressure on his outer appearance. It seems they told him all the time how important it is to stay beautiful because beauty is the most precious thing he has and it was the reason why those 'films' were sold at such high prices." The psychologist says shocked. "During the session Sasuke was constantly repeating 'he's not beauty anymore'. The doctors assume the reason for it was a cut the boy had on his face. A trivial thing yet it shows just how much the seven year old was abused."_

_Mikoto and Fugaku are facing a life long sentence and Sasuke was sent to the __St. Katharine Hospital for Mentally Ill where he will undergo further treatment. This is the first such case in Japan although similar….._

Suddenly Naruto heard footsteps outside the door – someone was walking down the corridor. While reading the horrific article he lost track of time and wasn't sure what time it actually was. While still being in shock due to what he just read he wasn't able to think properly. Deciding to get out from under the desk he frantically looked for a place to hide, but seeing as there was nowhere to go, he looked with utter horror at the door knob which started to move. The door made a creaking sound and soon were wide open.

"Kyoko!" Sasuke shouted, his voice laced with anger. Soon quick steps outside the corridor could be herd "What's the meaning of this!"

"I…I don't know what's wrong…" the maid named Kyoko uttered.

"I thought I told you that the door should stay closed at all times and that you are supposed to check them every hour!" he hollered at the poor girl.

"I swear I did check them half an hour ago and they were still locked!" she answered close to tears.

"Then how come…." Sasuke yelled yet again but then stopped as if pondering on something. All the meanwhile Naruto was standing behind the now opened door, the only placed he was able to think of in his unstable state. It was the worst place to hide because if a person decided to enter the room and close the door behind them, he would be discovered immediately. Therefore Naruto was now praying for Sasuke to go somewhere else, especially when he was this angry. The blonde didn't even want to imagine what would happen to him if he was discovered this time.

Unfortunately luck wasn't on his side as Sasuke entered the room, thankfully though, he didn't close the door behind him. By the steps he heard Naruto deduced that Sasuke had to go near his bureau. After a moment of silence he heard the sound of papers being ruffled and then heard a yell of anger and through a small creak he saw the very folder he was reading, fly across the room and hit the wall. He knew. Sasuke knew someone read his files but he had yet to discover who.

Naruto heard quick steps passing near the door and Sasuke left the room, closing the door behind him. The blonde boy knew he was a suspect since the taller man found him here once already, so now he was probably making his way towards his room to check his assumption. That is why Naruto, as soon as possible, had to get out of Sasuke's office and go away as far as he could from the place, finding a good alibi at the same time. He listened intensely to the sound of footsteps outside and when he heard none he quickly left the room.

"Read something interesting while being in there?" a low and dangerous voice asked from behind.

Naruto was petrified, he wasn't able to move nor to turn around. Then again he knew all to well to whom this dark aura belongs too, yet he was so terrified he couldn't speak and he barely breathed. Unconsciously he started trembling as he sensed the taller man move closer to him from behind. Then he felt a cold hand encircling his throat – Sasuke speaking directly into his ear, his body pressed to his own.

"Afraid are we?" he said in the most vicious voice Naruto had ever heard. "Well then, perhaps…. You should fucking listen to people when they are giving you fucking advice." Sasuke hollered slamming Naruto into the nearby wall, pressing him harshly from behind. "I said not to enter but of course you had to, you fucking idiot! Now look what you made me do!" he yelled yet again pressing Nartuo's body to the point it hurt. "It's your own fucking fault!" the taller man yelled suddenly pulling Naruto harshly by his wrist and dragging him in the direction of his room.

At this point Naruto was terrified, knowing all to well what wicked punishments the man could have planned in his mind. He tried to resist, pulling his body in the other direction but Sasuke was way too strong for him.

"Listen I'm sorry S…" Naruto wasn't able to continue as he was harshly thrown on the bed.

And before he knew it he felt Sasuke tying his wrist together to the post of the bed above his head. He started kicking and trashing not allowing himself to passively accept what was happening. Not this time. Naruto yelled and kicked but to no avail, soon he felt a cold and strong hand encircled around his neck, suffocating him.

Sasuke straddled him, now Naruto's hand as well as legs were immobile. He then looked down on him with one of the most wicked smiles Naruto had seen and while licking his lips he proceeded to tear the blonde's clothes off. He tore his shirt and threw it carelessly on the floor, all the while making sure Naruto couldn't move. He then started to unbutton Naruto's pants and pulled them of with a swift movement. When it came down to the underwear Naruto became so terrified he started trashing three times more violently than he did earlier, still with no effect. It wasn't that the man hasn't seen him naked before, but seeing him in this state, Naruto wasn't sure what the man was planning to do to him.

"Sasuke, please, stop this!" he tried begging the anger ridden man, but it seemed as if he was deaf. A look of craziness in his eyes.

"I don't remember you agreeing to my plea when I asked you not to go into that room." Sasuke said with an ice-cold, distant voice. He then tore of the last bit of clothing, leaving Naruto naked and completely vulnerable to the intense gaze of the coal black eyes. Naruto shivered under the stare trying somehow to relocate his position, move his legs so that he could hide the most embarrassing area, now being fully displayed to the wicked man.

"Stop it! Don't look!" Naruto yelled feeling humiliated by the scrutinizing gaze which, by merely looking, was abusing every part of his body.

He managed to free his legs a bit from the weight of the yet fully clothed man. While doing so he tried to cover his manhood which made Sasuke laugh at him. This only intensified the humiliation Naruto felt.

"Oh Naruto, _you're not beauty anymore _when you do that." He said with an evil smile, using the exact words that, according to the article, Sasuke used when first talking to psychologists. It made Naruto realize that Sasuke knew exactly what he had read and he was furious.

"I'm sorry I…"

"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled not allowing Naruto to end his apology. He then placed both of his hands on Naruto's knees and spread his legs, purposely staring at the area Naruto was so desperately trying to hide.

"Stop it! Don't look, don't look!" Naruto yelled at the verge of crying, his voice breaking.

"Oh I too said 'don't look'!" Sasuke said with a cruel voice. Then, still spreading the blonde's legs he lowered himself .

"Annn!" Naruto moaned not being able to conceal the sounds coming from his throat, when he felt Sasuke's wet tongue make contact with his penis. He truly hated it, he was disgusted with himself and with his body that reacted to something he really didn't want to happen. But as the moves of the warm tongue became more bold he could barely stand it, not used to such intense pleasure.

"Ah! Stop! Stop it!" he cried desperately, his body however, deceiving his mind. With his hands still pinned above his head, he started clawing at his own wrists, not knowing how to release such tension building up in his body.

"Stop doing that!" Sasuke yelled at him yet again for hurting himself in some way, it was one thing the taller man hated to see. It was a good sign for Naruto because if he still didn't want him to get hurt then perhaps he wasn't planning anything drastic. Still, being at a situation like this, it was hard for him to form any coherent thought. With half lidded eyes, cheeks red because of embarrassment, in shallow breathes he watched as the man returned to what he was doing previously.

Sasuke tongue now traveled up and down his length, leaving wet trails all over. He nibbled at the tip of Naruto's penis driving the blonde crazy. Naruto unconsciously started grinding his hips but as soon as he realized what he was doing he used all his willpower to stay as passive to Sasuke's actions as it was possible.

"Nhaaa….Sas…" he moaned yet again with a muffled voice, stopping himself from saying the Uchiha's name out loud.

"Hn. It was supposed to be a punishment whereas you're taking to much pleasure out of it." Sasuke snickered and started undoing his pants. "Let's try and change that."

Naruto couldn't concentrate properly and he wasn't sure what Sasuke meant by those words. If he was supposed to do him the same 'favor' he would rather die than agree. Soon enough, however, Naruto felt something touch his entrance. He opened his yes wide with shock, still not believing Sasuke would do such a thing to him.

Although he knew it was possible, he never really thought about how two man have sex as he was never interested in guys. Somehow the idea of it actually happening made him panic. It should have been obvious right from the start, yet Naruto couldn't believe Sasuke would go that far.

"No, don't!" Naruto yelled tears once again filling his vision. He felt extremely embarrassed and he knew that if Sasuke continued what he was about to do, he would never be able to get rid of this humiliation. Naruto didn't know why, he never minded people being gay, yet the idea of another man entering him scared him so much he was practically petrified, unable to move.

Despite Naruto's desperate plea Sasuke entered him with one thrust and without any preparation. Naruto yelled from the intense pain, tears finally falling down his face. He was sobbing so much he found it hard to breath. He was in a state of panic not because of the pain but of the disgust he felt for himself at that moment.

"Take it out! Take it out!" he yelled sobbing. Even though he knew how pathetic he sounded he couldn't control himself anymore.

Sasuke, as if not hearing or simply not caring for the blonde, started making slow thrust trying to find the right spot. Naruto, crying all the time, felt nauseous thinking about the situation he was in. He was weak, pathetic, not able to do anything, allowing someone full control over his body. He felt disgusted even more with himself than with Sasuke. Suddenly he felt an intense jolt of pleasure.

"Aaaaaaaaahn!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, trusting his head backwards, his toes curling in the sheets.

"So there it is." Sasuke said with amusement, replicating the previous movement, each time sending even more pleasure through Naruto's body, like a wave washing through every part of it. When Naruto thought he would not stand it any longer Sasuke suddenly stopped and started untying Naruto's wrists.

The blonde's mind was extremely hazy, he didn't know why the other man stopped. His body needed him to continue, painfully so, but he wasn't about to voice his desire, because he would loose the last bits of dignity. When Naruto felt his wrists being lose his arms felt limply to his sides, his body deprived of all energy, he was no more in a position to fight back.

While still being in the blonde Sasuke moved their positions, so that now Naruto was sitting on top of him wile Sasuke was lying on the bad, his hands holding Naruto's hips. At first the blonde didn't understand why the Uchiha chose such a position, though soon enough he realized.

While he was sitting on top of Sasuke, their bodies still being one, Naruto's tanned body started moving on its own. Although he would not allow his mind to speak up his desire, his body was something he couldn't control, not in a state like this. He was barely keeping himself straight as his body became a separate being.

"Now you seem quite eager." Sasuke said smirking, superiority evident in his eyes.

Naruto could no more retort, all he wanted was the pleasure he felt due to their bodies connections. He started buckling his hips, his whole body moving in a grinding motion. He was so humiliated by his own actions yet he didn't want this pleasure to end. He started moving faster and faster moaning and screaming all the while.

"Nnnn Sasuke!" he yelled as the pleasure reached it's peak and he came over Sasuke's chest. Even though he was exhausted and had to place his hands on Sasuke's stomach for support, he still wanted more and it terrified him. Soon after Sasuke came inside of him as well and the blonde, not being able to bare more, fell on top of his oppressor, his hands failing to support him.

He felt humiliated beyond imagination but what he also felt was the strange hunger ,a new found desire, awakened with fear and pleasure mixed together. He didn't want to think about the next day as the thought probably scared him the most. Right now he just wanted to stay like this. He slowly drifted into sleep, all conscious thoughts leaving him. Just before he finally gave in to sleep he felt two strong, warm hands embracing him.

What was he supposed to do now?

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I'm at a loss for words -.- I don't know what possesses me to write such stuff. Anyway do tell me your opinion about it, it would be highly appreciated. Sorry for any mistakes that will undoubtly be there. And yes, I know that it takes me a long time to update but I am planning to finish this story – so don't worry ;)

Bellow are the references to the authors, though I modified those poems a bit since they were too long.

Kuroi-Urufu

(1) poem by Jeff Hobbs

(2) poem by Runita R Menezes


	8. Abyss

Chapter 8 Abyss by Kuroi-Urufu

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"To see human beings in agony, to see them covered in blood and to hear their death groans, makes people humble. It makes their spirits delicate, bright, peaceful. It's never at such times that we become cruel or bloodthirsty. No, it's on a beautiful spring afternoon like this that people suddenly become cruel." - Mishima Y.

Naruto was lying under the bed sheets, his body sore from last night activities. But he felt more like his soul was being naked. After last night he felt as if he took that last step between sanity and... and what? What was Sasuke? He didn't know anymore how to describe the man, how to feel towards him. Up till yesterday he could say he was his oppressor, the one that took his freedom, the one he hated. But now? Of course he could still pretend, say that he didn't want to have anything in common with the psychopath, yet he knew, deep down, that those were all lies. He knew Sasuke was dangerous, he knew that he could not trust him, so why, why was he so drawn to him? He could always deny it in front of others but he could not deceive himself.

The memory of last night was so unreal to him, mostly his own actions. His body had deceived him and it terrified him, because somehow, he had the feeling that because of what happened last night, he had no more protection guarding him from the taller man. It's as if Sasuke already had full control over him, as if he knew exactly everything beforehand. He had it planned, the way he forced him to take action, if it was the other way around, if Sasuke held the initiative till the end, right now he would hate the man, accusing him of rape. But Sasuke knew exactly what he was doing. He had him trapped, but not because of his forceful actions. Sasuke had Naruto captured, because the blonde wanted to be trapped.

He got out of bed, not wanting to think about it anymore. Naruto wanted to preoccupy himself with something, because otherwise he couldn't bear to handle the recurring thoughts. The first thing that came to his mind was Sasuke's absence. It was actually the middle of the night, somewhere around three to be exact. The blonde wished he could sleep longer because it would put his brain at ease for some time at least.

As he stood up he looked around the room, making sure the Uchiha wasn't anywhere near. He then put his pajama pant and went out of the room, strolling down the empty and dark corridors, unconsciously wanting to know where the dark haired man had gone to. Finally when passing a pair of big wooden doors he heard quiet music. He pushed the door just a bit and through the slit spotted Sasuke, sitting in the middle, playing on the piano, darkness filling the room. For a moment Naruto didn't know whether to leave or to enter and face the man. He would be forced to do it sooner or later, so deciding he'd rather face his fears now than ponder about them all night, he entered the room.

The lights were off but since the room had huge windows the light of the moon was enough to see everyting in it's detail. Contrary to what he thought, Sasuke didn't stop playing even though he surely heard him entering the room.

"Uh…..hi" Naruto stammered trying to catch Sasuke's attention which proved to be idle as the stoic man continued to play the composition, paying no attention to the intruder.

Deciding Sasuke must have been mad at him he sat on the floor, patiently waiting for the Uchiha to finish. Actually he didn't know Sasuke could play the piano. He noticed a long time ago how he enjoyed classical music, but he usually just listened to it. Hearing him play made Naruto think it was quite impressive. The song wasn't complicated perhaps, but there were deep emotions in it. It struck him how the composer of the piece must have really felt music in his heart. It was mostly a sad piece of music, evoking nostalgia, but there were those moments where the tunes would go higher and faster as if in anticipation.

"It's Les Marionettes by Preisner." Sasuke said in a matter of fact tone. Naruto, who got so immersed in the melody almost jumped upon hearing he harsh voice, not even realizing the song had already ended. It was as if those tunes stayed in his mind, playing the melody over and over. Perhaps he wasn't very knowledgeable when it came to composers, but he always believed that the greatest works of art are those who are able to move a persons heart, and this Preisner guy was definitely capable of doing so.

"Did you want something from me?" Sasuke asked as if nothing really was wrong, as if everything that occurred a few hours ago didn't happen at all. But Naruto was not about to let it go, it wasn't as if he wanted to dwell on what happened but he wanted to have clear answers, to know what to expect. However, before he could comprehend what he was doing he asked:

"How long were you kept in the hospital?" As soon as those words left his mouth he knew he shouldn't have said them. Although he couldn't see clearly in the dim light, he noticed the angry expression Sasuke made. Before he knew what was going on the taller man was standing in front of him, grabbing him by his upper arm and dragging to one of the large windows. When they stood next to it, one opposite the other, their expressions could be seen clearly. The shadow cast on their faces, deepened every feeling that their faces could express. That's why now Sasuke's anger seemed much more terrifying than it was and Naruto's fright much more real. For a moment they simply stood like that, looking at each other, Sasuke obviously dissatisfied with something.

"Don't look at me this way." The taller man finally said making Naruto even more perplexed and than he was before.

"In what way?" he asked, not understanding what Sasuke had meant.

"The way you're looking at me now! Now that you know everything!" he yelled, his voice cracking at the end, showing signs of hysteria. Naruto didn't know what Sasuke meant. Was it because he saw the fear in his eyes?

Seeing as the blonde could not comprehend what Sasuke meant, the taller man explained what seemed obvious to him.

"Pity! Your eyes are full of it! Now that you know my past you look at like I'm still that kid that you need to sympathize with!" he yelled taking hold of Naruto's face with both of his hands, his eyes moving franticly while looking into the frightened blue ones, as if trying to find the proof for his words.

"No, that's not true." Naruto said weakly and soon was interrupted by yet another of Sasuke's tantrums.

"Don't lie to me! Do you think I'm stupid! You're looking at me like all those fucking psychiatrists. You know nothing and don't you dare assume things! Don't you dare look at me with pity!" he yelled holding Naruto's face so that even if the blond didn't want to, he was forced to look straight into those raging black eyes.

"Y.. yes it's true I feel pity for you. I would be lying if I said otherwise." Naruto said with honesty and seeing those black, dangerous eyes widen with each word he said, the smaller boy quickly continued. "B..but… I don't think it's a bad thing to feel pity towards another person."

"You think it's not bad to pity someone? When I walk down the streets I pity the drunk men that are slumped against a wall, wasting their lives in the most miserable of ways. When I see old people clinging to life even though they're so weak they have to be dependent of others. And when I…." Sasuke yelled hysterically but was soon interrupted by Naruto.

"And when I see a drunk man I pity him because maybe he doesn't have anyone that ever offered help to him in his entire life. When I see elderly people that are desperately trying to hold to their lives I pity them because I know they had treasured the time that was given to them and yet they have to leave it eternally. And I pity you because when someone cares for another person it's normal to share their pain and wish that they'd never experience such cruelty. Because you know Sasuke, without feeling love for another person, you'll never comprehend the true meaning of pity!" Naruto yelled not being able to suppress his emotions.

He looked at Sasuke with and angered expression, waiting for a comeback of sorts. He was certain the man would not give up until he proved to Naruto there was nothing worthy in the action of pity. To his surprise, however, Sasuke was looking at him with wide eyes, not saying anything, something akin to surprise or disbelief visible in his handsome features. Only then did Naruto stop to think upon what he had just said and he started to panic, realizing how his words could be interpreted.

"No! I didn't mean…mnn" his attempt to correct any wrong assumptions that Sasuke might have made, was stopped by a slender hand placed over his mouth.

"Please don't say anything more. Let it stay the way it was." Sasuke pleaded slowly releasing Naruto's mouth so that he could speak once again.

But how could he? How could he say that any assumptions that he loved Sasuke were a mere misunderstanding when the usually stoic man pleaded him with such desperation? Did it mean that Sasuke wanted his love? Or was it just that the Uchiha, being deprived of this feeling, wanted it, no matter who the person was. Not knowing how to react, they stood in silence for a while, observing each other, both of them slowly returning to their senses. Eventually Sasuke was the one who broke the silence.

"They, back then, they…. took away my beauty from me. Ever since I lost it I was trying hard to find it again, restore it within me. But… once the beauty you posses has been taken away from you, there's no way of mending it." Sasuke explained slowly, turning away from Naruto and looking through the window. All the time he talked, his eyes stayed unfocused, looking far away yet not seeing anything. They were tired, tired due to everything they saw in the past.

"And I can't survive without beauty, because how is someone to survive without it when filth surrounds him? That's why I decided that if I'm no more able to find beauty within me I'll find it somewhere outside of me and then I'll make it mine. But it wasn't an easy thing to do, finding a black rose among ordinary, red ones. Even so always when I thought that I finally found the perfect one it withered. But now I have you, I finally found what I was looking for so long." Sasuke said slowly turning back and focusing his gaze on the blonde. His eyes, however, were still distant.

"I don't understand what's so special about me. I'm perfectly average." Naruto stated, honestly wondering as to why Sasuke found him so special.

"Of course you're not perfect yet. When I first found you Naruto, you were nothing but a bud. Still I knew you had the potential of fully blooming, you just needed me to guide you in the right direction. Don't forget that you're my biggest masterpiece, a canvas that is not yet finished. But I can already see the changes in you. You're becoming more and more beautiful each day." He said, a smile gracing his lips.

Naruto tried to ignore the warm feeling that lately appeared each time Sasuke complemented him. Instead he focused on what Sasuke just said, trying to find logic in the Uchiha's convictions. Thinking about what he was just told, he could not stop himself from asking yet another question.

"How did I change? I don't really feel anything's different."

As soon as he asked that question he felt Sasuke's hand once again touching his face. Naruto had to conceal a shiver when the fraction of their skin made his body remember yesterday's event. This time though, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's chin turning his face towards the window. He then mirrored the action, turning the smaller boy's body with his other hand that he laid on his shoulder. While Naruto faced the window, seeing their reflections appear in it as it was still dark outside, he felt Sasuke embracing him from behind. His body already reacting to the simple gesture, made it even harder to stay focused and listen to Sasuke's words. He then felt the man bending slightly so that their faces were on the same level, allowing Sasuke to whisper directly into Naruto's ear.

"Look at your eyes Naruto. Look and see how they changed."

At first Naruto wanted to deem Sasuke's words as stupid, it sounded really cliché to him, that is, until he actually looked at his reflection and got scared because the eyes he saw didn't belong to him. Technically those were the same eyes, but if someone knew Naruto well, the change was obvious. In contrast to his normally big, inquisitive eyes, the ones he saw in the reflection were more narrowed, more 'knowing'. They still had the same cerulean color, but there was a certain depth in that blue that wasn't visible before. The eyes that he saw now were experienced. You could find all sorts of emotions in them, they showed happiness, doubt, sorrow, contentment, sadness, pleasure, pain and so much more, whereas earlier they were… mostly happy. But was it bad to be happy? Was it wrong to live your life experiencing only the good things?

"Come let's take a walk outside in the garden, the night is too beautiful to go to waste." Sasuke said, knowing, by the expression Naruto made, that he didn't need to say anything more. That the blonde understood the metamorphosis he'd underwent.

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When they were strolling down the vast garden, which Naruto never explored thoroughly, he was thinking about the changes that took place within him and he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable about it. Eventually he wasn't able to conceal the question that was nagging at the back of his mind.

"Was the change really necessary? Isn't it better to hold to the positive feelings? Actually I don't want to feel sorrow nor pain. I see no point in doing so." Naruto voiced his thoughts.

"And you call that living? You know nothing about life if you only choose to selectively take part in it. It would be comparable to living on the surface of the ocean, never going into the abyss to explore the hidden beauty." Sasuke said slightly annoyed by Naruto's ignorance.

"You know, it's always easy to put concepts into big words and make it seem reasonable, but tell me, would you actually be able to give me an example? All the time you say that beauty means nothing when it is stripped of all the negative emotions. Then tell me at least one example of the necessity of experiencing pain in order to understand the meaning of beauty." Naruto inquired deciding to voice his thoughts freely.

"Hn. Naruto sometimes you surprise me just how naïve you can be." Sasuke said with a smirk.

Suddenly Naruto felt something warm in his hand. To his bewilderment, looking down at his extended arm, he saw a pale hand intertwined with his. They contrasted a lot. Sasuke's porcelain, slender hand and his, tanned and rough. They didn't fit, they couldn't have. But the fact was they filled each other perfectly, their fingers intertwined , linking two separate bodies. For a few moments Naruto was so out of it he could not comprehend where he was going or what he was doing. Holding hands they walked down the narrow roads of the huge garden, each contemplating the unique night in silence. This tenderness seemed so unnatural, it didn't fit the image of Sasuke that was created in Naruto's mind. Where was this gentleness coming from?

"There are actually numerous examples of beauty that we can see only through pain, but since you'll be satisfied with only one..." Sasuke mused, looking at the full moon on the almost clear, night sky. „Let's take love for example."

"Love?!" Naruto couldn't help to voice his doubt at the example Sasuke decided to choose. Of all the things he could have talked about he chose love, which to Naruto sounded really ironic, as he didn't believe that the man could actually comprehend what love really meant. Besides what could pain and other such dreadful emotions help with? There is nothing that justifies the importance of pain to exist. In his opinion the negative emotions destroy love, rather than make it more beautiful, meaningful, deep.

"That girl you broke up with, what was her name?" Sasuke suddenly asked.

"What girl?" Naruto asked confounded, thinking that perhaps the taller man is trying to avoid answering the previous question and is now trying to change the topic.

"That ghastly, pink haired thing." The Uchiha said with obvious distaste.

"Her name's Sakura and she's not….." The blonde wasn't allowed to continue as he was interrupted by Sasuke.

"Yes that girl, Sakura. When you were with her you thought you loved her, am I right?"

Naruto didn't know what to say. First of all he did not _think_ he loved her, he really did love her. He still does! But was it safe to say such things right now, especially that the man was under the illusion the perhaps he loved him? No, it was better not to stir things for now, so he decided to simply nod and allow the man to continue.

"So tell me what kind of love was it? I'm sure it was a 'happy' kind of love, you could even say serene. You did all those little, insignificant things, shared idle conversations and shallow thoughts. You were content Naruto, no more no less than content. That kind of happy love is like a furniture. You pick the one that more less fits to the room. As long as it's comfortable you're satisfied."

"You can't really assume things just like that!" Naruto retorted in a high voice, angered by Sasuke's explanations, by the way he seemed to know everything. He was wrong, however, Sakura wasn't just a convenient love, she was the girl he spent half of his life chasing after. He had loved only her. But just when he managed to convince himself that what had just been said were all lies, Sasuke had, yet again, brought chaos in his world of perfect logic.

"Well then tell me Naruto, how many times did you think of Sakura from the last time you saw her. How many thoughts have you speared for her?"

How many thoughts? How many thoughts indeed? He had thought of her once, maybe twice. Twice. He had broken the heart of his beloved person and had thought of her twice. Fucking twice!? How could he say he really loved her? Well of course he broke up with her to keep her safe and did a guilt trip afterwards but was it all? Was that what true love meant? To break the heart of your beloved and feel sorry for one fucking day? Was he only merely content, or is that she was simply replaceable? He definitely didn't want to ponder on such things in fear that they might be true.

Naruto, thinking about what Sasuke had just said, hadn't even paid attention to where they went. Only now when he was fully conscious of his surroundings, did he see that they were in a sort of a garden pavilion. It's base was an octagon with wooden pillars at every corner, supporting the small roof. Suddenly Naruto felt two hands being placed on either side of his hips. He couldn't conceal the small scream he gave when he was being lifted by the taller man and seated on railing that ran on the sides linking all the pillars. He felt like a marionette being controlled both, physically as well as mentally, by Sasuke. The way he was seated made him look straight into the Uchiha's face, his legs dangling from the railing, Sasuke standing between them. He felt trapped, not liking the close proximity between them. It brought so much tension and frustration that Naruto wanted to scream. He would have run away if it wasn't for the fact that his only route of escape was to fall backwards, which would definitely result in a sore back at the least.

He then felt Sasuke's tongue tracing an invisible line down from his shoulder up to his ear. Naruto, feeling the tension rise, was somewhat expecting this to happen. Anticipating perhaps? But even knowing what was bound to happen he still couldn't embrace himself for what was to come. He could not conceal the whimper that escaped his throat, the slight shiver of his body as the hot tongue danced on the surface of his skin, or the involuntary tilting of his head backwards just so that the man would have better access to his skin.

"Now tell me, Naruto, in reference to what I've been saying, how would you react if, let's say, I was to suddenly disappear?" Sasuke asked with a seductive voice, leaving the already abused neck of his captor in order to look the boy straight into his blue eyes.

Naruto's breathing hitched when he saw those beautiful eyes in front of him. The gaze was always so intense he was barely able to look him in the eye. After a moment, not being able to withstand that look in his eyes he cast his gaze downwards. His fogged mind not willing to ponder about the question that was asked a few moments ago. Sasuke, however, would not let the blonde go so easily. Naruto felt a hand on his chin, forcing him to look upwards and when he finally did the question was asked once again.

"Would you think about me for days to come or let the memory of me pass just like it had never existed?"

There was no escaping this time, he had to give some thought to the question he so desperately tried to avoid. Deep down he already knew the answer, he knew it would be fucking impossible to ever forget the man, even if he was to disappear just like that. Naruto knew this all too well but he wanted to fool himself, to live in a world of delusions where Sakura was the one he couldn't forget about. A world that didn't force him to compare a convenient piece of furniture with those eyes that were boring into his soul.

Naruto's eyes widened at the realization of what he just thought and it seemed enough for the taller man, who continued to play with the lithe form of the blonde.

Though it was still night Naruto saw exactly as the pair of delicate, porcelain hands roamed his body causing him to go crazy with every fraction between their skins. He didn't want this, he thought, but he felt his body burning, anticipating each move Sasuke made. He arched his back letting a moan escape his throat as he felt those cold hands underneath his shirt. Then, Sasuke lifted his shirt exposing Naruto's skin to the cold, night air. It made the blonde hiss, soon thought, he once more felt the warm tongue of his captor, this time, however, making a trail from his belly bottom, down to his pants. Naruto found it hard to breathe as one of Sasuke's hands was securely holding him from the back, ensuring that he wouldn't fall, whereas the other one was playing with his already hard nipples. It was driving the blonde crazy.

"Ngh... Sa... Sasuke please stop... We're outside, someone might come..." Naruto managed to say in between harsh gasps. His hands that were holding the railing began to tremble.

"Hn... it's stating the obvious, dobe." Sasuke smiled hungrily while his hand, which just a moment ago was placed on Naruto's chest, now grabbed his growing erection through the fabric of his pants.

"Ahh... stop, stop playing with me... teme." Naruto managed to retort."

Even if Naruto tried to resist, he could not stop his body from wanting, no, yearning this. What made all of this so special? Why was it so different compared to what he and Sakura had? He looked down on the black haired man who now started undoing Naruto's pants, the blonde allowing Sasuke what he wanted. What they both wanted.

It was just that there were so many emotions when he was with the man and most of the time they weren't even good ones. Sure there were moments when everything seemed perfectly fine, when Sasuke acted like a normal human being. He could even say that he was happy at those times. The taller man was sometimes gentle and Naruto really liked that. But then there was this other side of him. Often he got scared of the man, no doubt he could see insanity in his eyes when he talked about his beliefs and theories.

Finally there was the third category, the one that came as a mixture from the two above. It was lust, pleasure but most of all passion. Something he never managed to share with Sakura yet he felt for the man that now stood before him, the one that he barely got to know. So this meant Sasuke was right yet again, that his theory of negative emotions being needed to find true beauty. But it couldn't be all there was to it! Naruto wasn't about to let the man think that he was in control, that what he said was the ultimate truth. He will prove him wrong, there must be something Sasuke hadn't considered, some hole in his theory. Then something struck him.

"It's not true... what you said about love." Naruto said trying to keep his trembling body under control. What he said, however, did catch the interest of his captor as he stopped his previous actions and looked at the blonde, giving him all his attention.

"You say that it's just about negative feelings, that only if you add some pain will you be able to fully comprehend what love is. But, that just can't be true, otherwise it would mean that everyone who experienced some hardship would share a perfect love. You may say what you want but I've seen such people and there's nothing but misery that surrounds them. I also don't think that if it wasn't you but someone else I would have..." And then, when he saw the somewhat wicked yet genuine smile spread across Sasuke's face, he realized that he had fallen into a trap. That he did everything exactly according to what Sasuke had wanted. Hoping to challenge the theory he only managed to make solid.

"That's right Naruto, if it wasn't me I don't think it would work." Sasuke said in a low, husky voice leaning dangerously close to Naruto's face. For a moment they only stared at each other, mirth evident in the taller man's eyes. "Remember it can only be me." He said this time with a stern voice and then, kissing Naruto's earlobe, he whispered once more as to make things certain "You can only love me."

Sasuke, now seemingly satisfied, proceeded to undo Naruto's pants, finally managing to pull them down to the blond's ankles. When he finally had all the obstacles out of his way he once again turned his attention to the boy sitting on the railing.

"Lick." Was everything that he said when putting his fingers to Naruto's lips. He knew all to well where this was going and wasn't about to let the man do whatever he wanted with him. Even though his body yearned for the touch of the beautiful man, he would not let himself be manipulated like this. Thus with a stern look he determinedly pulled his head away from the offending fingers.

"Don't try to fight it now, you know it's useless." Sasuke said with a chuckle, obviously amused by Naruto's ministrations. Then, with his other hand, he gently grabbed the boy's already hardened length and started to stroke it ever so slowly.

"Ahhh... please stop." Naruto moaned not being able to sustain the waves of pleasure that seemed to travel through his body. As much as he tried to resist, his body began to react, buckling his hips forward. In order to keep his balance on the railing he scooted a bit to one of the pillars to which he pressed his back. Just when he thought he will be able to somewhat control himself he felt the offending tongue at the tip of his lenght. By each circle Sasuke made with his tongue Naruto was being overridden with lust and just when he wanted to release himself the devious man stopped all his actions, his hand not even touching the tanned body. They were placed on either side of the railing, successfully trapping the blonde. The man was waiting. Naruto knew what game he was playing but was in no condition to refuse.

He then reached out for Sasuke's hand and began to lick the index and the middle finger. He hadn't even realized when his other hand got entangled in the midnight black hair, pulling them roughly, all the more showing how the blonde needed the man standing before him. As soon as the invasive fingers left his mouth he felt soft lips leaving small kisses in the corner of his, now swollen, lips. Naruto knew that what he was allowing the man to do was, slowly yet surely, destroying his sanity. It was wrong on so many levels, but at the same time, so perfectly right.

As their lips locked in a passionate kiss, he felt cool fingers coated with his own saliva, travel down his body. He gasped when he felt the wet fingers entering him, which only gave the taller man a chance to slip his tongue into the hot cavern of the needy blonde, to explore him even more, memorize each detail of Naruto's body. The blonde wondered whether there was even any need for preparing him, if not long ago they had sex.. Their first time was rough and brutal, leaving the blonde sore, this time, however, Sasuke tried to be gentle. This was, perhaps, a way of an apology to the blonde. Or maybe it was supposed to bring them on a different level where Naruto willingly submissed himself to the man. But was this it? Did he cross the line between having sex and making love so quickly and without even noticing it?

Deep in his thoughts, overridden by the pleasure Sasuke caused, he didn't even realize when the fingers were replaced with Sasuke's member, only giving a small yelp when the Uchiha thrust into him. As if to apologize the taller man started kissing his jawline whispering things Naruto, in his current state of mind, couldn't comprehend. Still hearing the silky, low voice gave him some sense of reassurance, because in the darkness that surrounded them, in the oddity of it all, that voice, that smooth voice was the only thing he could hold on to.

As Sasuke increased his thrusting, Naruto, giving in to the amounts of pleasure he never felt before, started grinding his hips as if trying to swallow Sasuke up, deeper and deeper. In order not to fall he had to lift both of his hands up and hold the upper part of one of the wooden pillars. With each movement his grip became tighter and tighter. He began arching his back, his head arching back as well, leaving his neck fully exposed. He then felt Sasuke's mouth latching on his neck, sucking loudly, the sound bringing Naruto closer to climax.

"Ngh.. Sah.. Sasuke!!" he yelled not being able to contain the almost feral sounds that were escaping his throat, born somewhere deep within him.

"Scream my name! Scream it even louder so that everyone will hear that you're mine." Sasuke all but yelled and once again latched on the exposed, tanned skin of Naruto's neck. This time, however, Naruto could feel the harshness of the man's teeth scraping his neck up and down as if to find the perfect spot. Finally when the Uchiha stopped the motion Naruto felt a sharp pain in his neck, feeling Sasuke teeth marking his skin. He screamed, still securely holding the post above his head, pain mixing with pleasure.

One of Sasuke's palms was holding Naruto's hands firmly above his head, the other holding his length, stroking it in an even rhythm, precum leaking from it. He began to lick the small trickles of blood from the abused neck. They were both moaning, emitting all types of sounds previously unknown to themselves, moving in unison on the verge of achieving the final pleasure. It seemed almost primal, lust coating both of their gazes.

Doing it out in the open made the thrill even bigger. But since it was still night the only witness to their sin seemed to be the moon that shone down upon them, every now and then hiding behind the clouds. Still for Naruto it seemed as if the whole world was witnessing his submission – to what? He didn't know. So, as if to clarify one last thing in front of the eyes of the invisible onlookers Naruto screamed on top of his lungs, giving in to Sasuke's earlier request.

"Sa...Sasuke!!!" he screamed, both reaching their limits at the same time.

And then he collapsed straight into the abyss, feeling free.

--------

Naruto woke up in a large bed, rays of the morning sun pleasantly warming his face. The window was open, allowing the early breeze to enter the room, which in turn caused the curtains to move in a dancing motion.

"Naruto sama, the morning service will be here shortly." A girl's voice announced from behind the closed door.

_Morning service? What morning service? Where am I and what am I doing here? What happen last night and why is my body hurting? - _Where the first questions that sprung to Naruto's as he desperately tried to collect his thoughts. He wanted to sit up but it was to no avail as an increasing headache prevented him from moving. He laid there, sprawled on the bed, trying to recall the last night events. Before he was able to remember everything, however, the door opened and in came a silver haired man, half of his face covered by a mask.

"Morning sir, how may I be of assistance?" the man asked. He was dressed in an attire common for butlers and other staff that worked at the Uchiha house. He wore a pleasant smile but as soon as he checked that the door was firmly closed his expression changed to one of anxiety.

"Now listen carefully Uzumaki Naruto because we have no time to waist. We had the mansion under watch for quite some time and we have some idea of what might be going on in here. What you need to do, is to prove my suspicions correct. " The silver man said in a clipped voice. However, this was all too much for Naruto to handle.

"Excuse me, who are you again? And what are you doing here?" Naruto asked rubbing his temples with his hands, his gaze still focused on the taller man.

"Excuse my rudeness." the man said somewhat sarcastically. "My name is Hatake Kakashi and I'm from the secret department of Tokyo Police."

This was not what he expected to hear.

----------

A/N Letting me out into the streets leads to public safety hazard… just so you know.

I thank you all so much for the reviews even though it takes me so much time to update. But only thanks to them am I able to finally sit down and start writing another chapter, so don't hold back. I mean it! ^^

And special thanks to PromistDream for her constructive review!!


	9. Void

Charter 9 Void by Kuroi-Urufu

---

"Now listen carefully Uzumaki Naruto because we have no time to waste. We had the mansion under watch for quite some time and we have some idea of what might be going on in here. What you need to do, is to prove my suspicions correct. " The silver haired man said in a clipped voice. This was all too much for Naruto to handle.

"Excuse me, who are you again? And what are you doing here?" Naruto asked rubbing his temples, his gaze still focused on the taller man.

"Excuse my rudeness." the man said somewhat sarcastically. "My name is Hatake Kakashi and I'm from the secret department of Tokyo Police."

This was not what he expected to hear.

"We have evidence to believe that you are being held in this mansion against your will, is that correct Mr. Uzumaki?" the silver haired man asked, every once in a while checking whether there wasn't anyone heading for the room.

"I …. well…I" Naruto tried to respond but couldn't find any appropriate words. He was stunned to say the least, knowing that police had the mansion under observation for some time now. But why haven't they reacted sooner? Like when he wanted to commit suicide, or when people close to him were being threatened. Why haven't they reacted when he needed them to?

"Listen Uzumaki we don't have time for this. Both of us now how the situation looks like." Kakashi said in a hurried voice, obviously afraid of being found out.

"Then why are you even asking me this!" Naruto responded with an angry shout.

"Quiet down!!" the policemen ordered. "If they find out my identity the whole mission will be to no avail. What I need you to do, is to come tomorrow to the court." He said, his voice stern.

"Are you kidding me! If I could freely go anywhere I wanted I would've done that a long time ago!" Naruto answered angrily though he tried to keep his voice down.

"Tomorrow there is a case against Uchiha and he'll have to be present there too. I doubt you'll have much problem going out of the mansion when he's not here. One of our guys will be waiting for you in a car parked right outside the gate." The policeman explained.

"How am I supposed to believe you?! Maybe this is just another scam? Besides a court trial is a big deal, I doubt Sasuke wouldn't mention it earlier." Naruto tried to reason.

"Here's my badge if that will put you at ease" the man said and indeed pulled out a police badge from a pocket on the inner side of his jacket and handed it to the blonde for him to examine. "As for the court it's not really a big deal for Uchiha, he had a few of those already, always accused of illegal dealings in his corporation." He explained.

"Well if so then why wasn't he put behind bars already?" Naruto inquired looking at the Tokyo police badge.

"You see Uzumaki, Uchiha is not a stupid man, he knows how to handle his business or how to hide his shady dealings. He's a powerful man with a spotless reputation, so you can imagine it's not easy to convince the jury that he's guilty of what he's being accused of. On top of that he always hires the best lawyers, and has the appropriate people back him up if it's needed." Kakashi explained feeling agitated by every minute that passes, but he knew he couldn't rush things. Naruto was their vital witness.

"So how am I supposed to help, besides can you imagine what will happen to me if I'll testify against Sasuke and then he's once again set free?" the blonde asked finding it hard to believe what the silver haired man was saying. There was just no way it could work.

"You're the key witness Naruto, you're the shadow on his otherwise spotless reputation. Our sources will say how you were held here against your will and how, because of Uchiha, you attempted suicide. We have evidence sustaining that claim. What we only need is for you to be there and affirm it. If you do then it will be easy to make the jury believe our accusations and sentence Uchiha. We can then further undermine his position by bringing back his background of being treated at a mental institution. You have nothing to worry about, I promise you we will give protection to you and your family afterwards and…"

Suddenly the door to the room opened and in came Sasuke holding a newspaper, glasses firmly set on his nose. Noticing there was someone in the room he scrutinized him with his gaze, obviously sensing the somewhat strange atmosphere that filled the room. Naruto didn't know what to do, feeling somewhat paralyzed he looked between Sasuke and Kakashi, wondering for a moment whether he should give out the man's true identity and spare himself. But he wasn't that kind of a person, was he?

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked with a calm voice.

"Oh excuse me, I was just asking Naruto sama at what time he'd like his breakfast to be delivered tomorrow. Is 11 am ok with you?" Kakashi asked with a pleasant smile, trying to convey his thoughts to Naruto. Thankfully the blonde was quick to understand that it wasn't the breakfast but the car he was talking about. The car that was supposed to take him to the court tomorrow.

"Isn't that a little too late for a breakfast?" Sasuke asked looking at the man with a calculating gaze. Naruto decided it was time for him to say something.

"No, I wanted it later because I always feel like I don't have enough sleep in the mornings." Naruto said offhandedly trying to muster as innocent smile as he could.

"Okay then, that will be all, right? You can go now." Sasuke said in a stern voice and turned in the direction of his dresser. Something, however, caught his eye.

"What are you holding there?" he asked curiously, indicating Naruto's hand.

"What?" Naruto asked and looked down into his palm only to realize that he was still holding Kakashi's badge. In a matter of seconds his heart started pounding, he felt as if he was about to die. Either that or he'll be killed by the soon to be furious Sasuke.

"I… well… this …you see this is…" he started stuttering yet again, holding the object more securely so that Sasuke couldn't see it. He took a quick glance at the silver haired man who seemed to be equally terrified. What was he to do now? Sasuke was clearly being agitated by every passing second that he failed to give an answer.

"Are you hiding something?!" Uchiha hollered, now hovering over the blonde, trying to snatch away the mysterious object and as he was about to forcefully take it away, Naruto yelled.

"Wait!" it startled Sasuke a bit which gave Naruto a few more precious seconds he so needed.

"Ugh, you see, this was supposed to be a surprise. Um, surprise for you that is. If you see it now it will all go to waste. I'll… I'll give it to you tomorrow." Naruto said, hoping beyond hope that his mere excuse would be sufficient. And to the blonds and policeman utter shock, it was.

"You prepared something for me?" the question seemed quite natural, and it was spoken with no excitement what so ever on the taller man's side. Then again Naruto knew Sasuke all to well now, and he could see how the raven haired man visibly relaxed, and in the place of a stern look came on of surprise and happiness even. For a moment it made Naruto wonder - exactly how much did the man care for him?

"Yeah, so you see I can't let you see it yet." The blonde said meekly. For a few moments he held his breath in anticipation but as soon as he felt the taller man's hand on his head he relaxed, knowing he had won. He vaguely registered Kakashi leaving the room, as he felt Sasuke's palm leaving his head. He missed the warmth.

"I can't stay with you today as I have an important thing to deal with tomorrow and I'll need some time to prepare for it. I'll probably be back quite late so don't wait up for me." Sasuke said as he went to the bathroom to change his attire.

It made Naruto wonder though, would it always be like this? If he didn't go to the court tomorrow, would they live normally, Sasuke asking him not to wait up for him and he agreeing without words. Would that be possible? He then looked at the marks on his hands, barely visible yet still present. The evidence of his suicidal attempt.

No. It definitely wouldn't be possible.

---

Naruto was still wide awake when he heard someone opening the door to the bedroom. It was undoubtly Sasuke, returning late because of the preparations for his upcoming case in the court. Naruto quickly peeked at the digital clock which showed something around 3 am. He then quickly closed his eyes pretending he was asleep, not wanting to talk with Sasuke. It was bad enough he stayed in bed till 3 am wide awake, pondering over what he should do. He didn't want to complicate things any further.

Naruto heard the bedside lamp being turned on and then he felt the bed beside him sink a little under Sasuke's weight.

"Are you asleep?" he heard a low murmur. He really wanted to pretend he was asleep but since he knew what a poor actor he was and that soon he'll most probably be discovered that's why the blonde decided to open his eyes. However, Naruto still tried to act as though he was woken up from a deep sleep, hoping that Sasuke will simply leave him alone. He really hoped the man wasn't about to do anything strange.

"Hmmm" he answered somewhat groggily, looking up at the man with half lidded eyes. What he saw amazed him. The taller man was leaning above him with a tender smile adorning his face. It looked surreal to the blonde.

"I don't want you to wake up fully. I just wanted to say that you made me happy today." Sasuke said quietly.

"Huh?" was the best Naruto could come up with at his current state of mind.

"Well with the whole surprise thing. I just thought that I should also do something for you so I bought you this." Sasuke said and before Naruto could register what was happening he felt Sasuke putting something around his neck. When he looked down he saw a necklace with three sapphire crystals. Naruto touched them with his fingers, still not being able to comprehend why was the man acting so, so normally, so nicely. He was supposed to be cruel, so that Naruto would have no regrets about testifying against him tomorrow.

"You like it? Just thought it would suit you, that's all."

"It had to be very…. It had to be expensive." Naruto responded for lack of anything better to say.

"Tsk. Now really, you of all people saying something like that?" Sasuke asked with faked mockery in his voice.

"Why so?"

"Well isn't it you who always looks at the bigger picture, the one who sees morality and higher notions even in hell? The knight in silver armor fighting the windmills?" Sasuke said laughing slightly, teasing the blonde. "How is it that a man of ideals would think about such a materialistic measure as money?"

"Jeez I just asked…." Naruto said unconsciously pouting. "But does it mean I converted you? After all it's always easier to fight windmills together eh? When you think about it, Don Quixote too, had his helper right? What was his name…. ah yes Sancho Panza!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

"If anyone's having such a stupid name and is riding on a donkey then it's undoubtly you Dobe." Sasuke said with a smirk and surprising the blonde he cupped his cheek and kissed him on his forehead. "Go to sleep." He said finally heading towards the bathroom, leaving the blonde, yet again, alone with his thoughts which by now, created a turmoil of emotions.

Naruto had spend all day pondering whether he should help the police and every time he even remotely thought about continuing to live together with the raven haired man, there was a mountain of reasons against it. It just seemed insane for him to even consider such a thing, it wasn't possible to leave a normal life with someone who was threatening you and holding you against your will. But was it against his will? When was the last time he even tried to ask Sasuke whether he could go somewhere, he just assumed the man would deny it. And when did he threaten him?

"No!" Naruto said aloud shaking his head. He was not allowed to do that! He could not justify the man just because he was being nice to him, just because lately he seemed normal. Maybe he was acting in an ordinary way for now, but Naruto knew Sasuke, he knew that in an instant the man could become a totally different person, a terrifying one. The undeniable fact was that he was his captor, he manipulated him into having sex with him and he also hurt and lost his girlfriend because of that.

Besides didn't the man say there were other 'canvases' before him and that he killed them? So why wouldn't he kill Naruto eventually just like all the others? The fact was that Sasuke was a murderer and for that alone, he should be sentenced tomorrow. There was no use for going through the same set of reasons over and over in his head, as if trying to find a loophole of sorts. He simply has to do the right thing tomorrow, which is to go and testify against the dark haired man. Then he could go back to his life and everything would be back to normal.

He once again felt the mattress sink under the weight of another body. A body that was radiating heat, a body which was now pressed up against his, giving him protection. Feeling Sasuke's slow heartbeat as they both lay in the dark room, the taller man spooning the lithe form, Naruto could not escape the thought that he was about to be the person who will take away this man's freedom. And even though Sasuke was the obvious tyrant here, why was Naruto feeling like a monster? He couldn't help wondering as tears fell silently from his eyes, the beating of the others heart suffocating him with guilt.

------

"Therefore we are also accusing Mr. Uchiha of illegal dealings with the Sabaku company and maltreatment of your company workers" the lawyer of Akatsuki company said addressing the court.

"Your Honor I object. Unless you have any crucial evidence for those accusations I see no reason why Mr. Uchiha would need to, yet again, go through the trouble of a court case. I wish Akatsuki company would be more considerate of the time of people gathered here." Sasuke's lawyer countered with ease. Soon the knocking of the wooden hammer could be heard.

"First of all may I remind you that you need to first ask for courts permission to speak. This is not a playground." The judge said unimpressed. "Now that it's clear I, must agree with Mr. Uchiha's lawyer that unless you have any breaking evidence then it's a waste of our time to gather here."

"But we do have some new evidence." A man with silver hair said from the back of the courtroom.

It was the first time that the otherwise bored, dark haired man paid attention to what was happening around him. As soon as Sasuke remembered when exactly he saw the man his expression became stern. If looks could kill Kakashi would have long be obliterated.

"Mr. Hatake Kakashi of Tokyo police I presume? Since when did the police get involved in this case?" the judge asked amused. She knew that if the infamous Hatake Kakashi was being involved in a case, it was never good for the accused ones.

"May I bring in another witness?" the policeman asked.

"Your Honor I object, it's irrelevant to the case!" Uchiha's lawyer shouted.

"Calm down! Now Mr. Hatake, is it, or is it not relevant to the case?" the judge asked although she already knew the answer.

"I can assure you, Your Honor, that it will shed a new light on this case" Kakashi replied in an ever composed manner.

"Very well then, you may proceed." She replied and allowed the new witness to enter the courtroom. Everyone present in the room turned towards the entrance, holding their breaths. By now even Sasuke was becoming anxious. Everyone waited in anticipation, silence filled the room. Seconds ticked away on the rather large clock that was hanging on one of the walls. Silence. Nobody came.

"I suppose we just wasted more of our time then?" Sasuke's attorney said sarcastically.

"No, I'm sure he'll come." The policeman said, at the same time somehow doubting his own words. A few more moments passed in silence.

"Well I'm sorry Mr. Hatake but I must…." The judge began and that precise moment the door opened.

"Ah, and here he is. Your Honor this is Uzumaki Naruto, my key witness." Hatake Kakashi exclaimed, visibly smiling even though half of his face was covered by a mask. Everyone's attention was once again brought to the entrance where a young, blonde boy stood, seemingly afraid to look up.

"Very well then, Naruto, come up here." The judge said in a soothing voice, sensing the boy's obvious discomfort.

Naruto could not brace himself to look up. He kept his gaze on the floor in fear of meeting the eyes he was so afraid of. How would they look like right now? Furious, repulsed, vicious? All of that perhaps? He finally reached the rostrum directly in front of the judge.

"Naruto, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I swear." Naruto said meekly and as soon as he did, Akatsuki lawyer started asking him questions.

"Is it true that for some time now you are living together with Mr. Uchiha?" the man asked.

"Yes." Came once again a silent reply.

"Could you please name the state of your relationship with Mr. Uchiha?"

"I…ugh" Naruto was at a loss of words. He wasn't prepared for such a question. Suddenly Sasuke's attorney stood up.

"Your Honor I don't see how this is related to the case!" The man demanded but before the judge could reply Akatsuki's lawyer answered.

"It does, because holding someone hostage will surely undermine Mr. Uchiha's creditability." As he said it a loud gasp could be heard in the jury bench.

"Mr. Uzumaki, tell me, have you been living with mister Uchiha of your own free will?"

"Mnn"

"Louder Mr. Uzumaki." The judge reprimanded him.

"No" he mumbled as an answer.

"Then were you forced to live there?"

"Yes."

"By means of force or by being threatened?"

"Both" the boy replied still not being able to raze his eyes.

"Is it true then that present today on this courtroom, president of the Uchiha Corp. Uchiha Sasuke was abusing you physically and mentally to such a degree that you were driven to commit suicide by jumping out of a window and later being hospitalized?!" the attorney said, his voice raising with every spoken word so that at the end he was almost screaming.

"Y..yes"

"That is all I wanted to ask, thank you, your Honor."

When Naruto finally ended the dreaded testimony he moved to a seat near the jury bench. He still couldn't believe he went through with it. But he was sure it was the right thing to do. There was just no place on earth for people such as Sasuke, he was a murderer and should be treated like one. So why was it so hard to look in his eyes, now that he had testified against him. He was a coward that's what he was. And monster or not, he still backstabbed the man who perhaps didn't mean no harm to him. Deep in his thoughts Naruto didn't even realize when it was almost the end of the trial.

"Uchiha Sasuke, please raise." The judge asked and Naruto heard a distant screeching of a chair on the cold, tiled floor.

"Before the verdict is being given you can say a few words in your defense." She informed him.

Silence. Naruto heard nothing. Even though he was ready for a tantrum or at least a blatant set of lies what he heard was utter silence. He suddenly felt the crystal necklace, which he forgot to take off, choke him. He could not stand it anymore and so he finally raised his head and met Sasuke's eyes. Only that those weren't his eyes anymore. Those weren't the eyes full of passion, those beautiful eyes he came to adore and fear at the same time. They were empty shells, a memory of eyes long forgotten.

"Mr. Uchiha may I remind you that if you'll refuse to say anything it will mean that everything that Mr. Naruto testified is true and that you admit it as well. So if you want to say something in your defense please say it now." The judge said with finality.

Say something dammit! Fucking say something, anything that will make me fell like I actually did the right thing!! Naruto was screaming in his mind, but the only thing that met his pleas where the lifeless eyes.

"Uchiha Sasuke, on the basis of your mental condition, you are being sentenced to life stay and treatment at St. Katharine Hospital for Mentally Ill. The case is hereby closed." she said and with a final strike of the hammer, Sasuke's life has been thrown away. As Sasuke was put in handcuffs and being taken out of the courtroom, he stopped for the slightest of moments near where Naruto was sitting. Soon though the policemen ordered him to resume walking and so Naruto looked at the retreating back of the man he feared to love.

--------

It was three days after the trial and Naruto, still in a daze, was gathering some of the things that he left in Sasuke's mansion. The normally quite house was now filled with police, destroying the tranquility of the place. They were rummaging through Sasuke's private things, most probably trying to find some needed evidence, either way Naruto didn't care anymore. He couldn't stand to be in this place, especially now, when he could see it crumble. Because of him.

Seeing as the policemen were going through all Sasuke's private things he remembered about the few paintings Sasuke did of him. He decided to take them, not wanting anyone to see them. Especially the very first one… He quickly strolled to the closet he always saw Sasuke put the paintings in. At least now he will be able to see the outcome, since the taller man never allowed him to see paintings. Maybe he also put the paintings of his previous 'canvases' there? When he finally reached the closet and opened it, however, he was found himself bewildered at what he saw. And what he saw was nothing.

White canvases were all that met his eyes. Not even a single stroke ruptured the otherwise perfectly white plane. Did Sasuke hide them somewhere else perhaps? But he was almost certain that it was this closet, he could not be mistaken. Suddenly he heard voices on the other side of the door. He recognized them, it was the policemen Hatake Kakashi and the other guy he saw in the courtroom, the leader of Akatsuki company. He wanted to go out and talk to them but hearing as both of them were speaking with hushed voices made him reconsider his actions.

"Everything played into our hands, didn't it?" The businessman said.

"I suppose so. I mean, if it wasn't for the Uzumaki kid we would have lost the case right?" Hatake replied uninterested. "Now where's the money you promised?"

"Ah yes, getting down to business are we. Don't worry the money we agreed on is already secured on your bank account. After all since the board of Uchiha Corporation got to know of Sasuke's 'despicable' actions they knew that they lost their creditability and as such they in turn want to merge with my company." The man said chuckling.

"So I suppose everything went according to our plan. The blonde helped us to frame Uchiha and now his company is no longer a threat to you. Good thing the blonde went on and attempted suicide, it was the trump card for us." The policeman stated.

"Yeah, good thing that little runt didn't die at the time. But anyway Sasuke kinda brought this upon himself. He may not have made any illegal business, but he really did capture the blonde didn't he?"

"Well I am wondering about that. It seems a bit odd for Sasuke to take such a risk, don't you think?" Kakashi inquired, showing amusement for the first time.

"I don't care what that sick fuck did. The most important thing is that I now hold his share of business investment and since Sasuke didn't have anyone even remotely close to him, it seems that if I'll pull some string I'll even get the mansion." He said once again laughing evilly.

"I see you want to strip the man from everything don't you? Anyway it's none of my business. I guess this is where our dealings end." The silver haired man stated and after shaking their hands, the both went separate ways.

Naruto, meanwhile, was sitting in the small closet pondering over all the things he had just heard. Sure he heard that the police was corrupted more than a couple of times, but would have never thought he'd be on the receiving end of it. So eventually Sasuke was framed. But did this change anything other than leave an even heavier feeling on Naruto's heart? The business dealings weren't important really. What mattered was that he, in fact, was being kept here against his will and if what Sasuke said was correct, the taller man murdered his previous canvases. This, Naruto tried to reason, made his testimony more than justified. If anything he was doing Sasuke a favor, not mentioning that he was a murderer. It's not like he had any evidence for it anyway. Now, even the canvases were void.

But he had to at least find his nude painting before anyone else sees it and the only way to do that, was to ask Sasuke himself. True, he was afraid to face the man, not knowing what the reaction would be, or lack of it. Whether he will even want to speak with him? But even so Naruto felt like he owed this to the taller man, some kind of explanation. Besides, he also needed closure and the only way to achieve that was by confronting the man. If he won't do it now, he'll never have the courage to do it later.

With that final thought, he set in the direction of the hospital he knew Sasuke was being held in.

-----

"Hello, could you tell me where the Uchiha's room is?" Naruto asked when he had finally made it to the reception of the hospital. It wasn't a normal hospital, however, it was one meant for mentally ill thus it was extremely calm inside, excruciatingly even. Only from time to time Naruto could hear some patients screaming something in a frenzy just to quite down in the next couple minute.

He thought it would be hard for him to find the place, but to his surprise, the building was located in the district of Tokyo where he used to live back in the times when his parents were still together. He was only 6 then but the neighborhood still evoke some nostalgia.

"You're a visitor?" finally came the reply of the nurse sitting at the register.

"Uh, yes. I hope it isn't a problem." He said, doubt filling his voice.

"Oh no, not at all. It's nice actually. Since Sasuke was left here four days ago nobody came in to see him. It's always so sad when we see our patients being abandoned by their friends and family. Of course I do realize it's not easy to communicate with them at times, but it doesn't mean they can't feel and…"

"Could you tell me what room he is in?!" Naruto demanded, not being able to hear even one more word from the sickeningly sweet lady. He didn't want to hear such things, he couldn't.

"Oh, yes of course. He's in the room number 121, one of our nurses will take you there shortly." she replied warily.

"There's no need I can find the way myself."

"I'm sure you can but these our the rules of our hospital. Someone must accompany you. Also as you wait please fill in the necessary forms. I'm sorry for all the trouble, it's just that it's your first visit. When you'll come here for the second time we won't have to…"

"I won't" Naruto replied feeling more agitated by every passing minute.

"Excuse me?" she asked surprised by the blonde's rudeness.

"This is the only time I'll be visiting. Can I have the forms?"

"Yes sir. Here they are. Please fill in the blanks and wait for a nurse. Someone will surely come in a moment." With that she finally passed the needed forms leaving Naruto in silence he yearned for. No sooner had he filled all the necessary papers in came a middle aged man with a scar on his nose.

"Hello, you must be Naruto?" he said in a pleasant manner and stretched out his hand. "I'm Umimo Iruka, pleased to meet you. I'll be taking you to Sasuke's room." He said and after giving the blonde a strong handshake he turned towards one of the long corridors at the end of which there was a staircase. Strolling through the corridor they passed many rooms in which Naruto could glance through the small, barred window panes in the doors. Most of them seemed to be asleep or in some state of lethargy, probably due to the drugs. He only hoped that he won't find Sasuke in a similar state.

"You know Naruto, you remind me of someone. Back when I was a beginner here, I remember a kid, just like you, walking to school everyday near our hospital. He also had this blue eyes and blonde hair." Iruka mused to himself.

"It was probably me. I just noticed it myself. When I was a kid I lived here with my parents. I suppose I went to some kindergarten here but I don't remember exactly. I think I was six or so." Naruto said, truly amazed at how close he had been to the hospital before, never really paying attention to the building. It was huge but he guessed that in the eyes of a child it was simply a yet another dull place.

"So it's really you? Unbelievable. So you know Sasuke then? I never thought you two will actually meet one day, especially after you were gone." The brown haired man replied deep in thought.

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked as they reached the fifth floor, the numbers of the rooms reaching 100.

"He never told you?" Iruka asked surprised.

"Told me what?" Naruto asked stopping in his tracks, though he wasn't completely sure whether he wanted to hear the answer.

"Well, as you probably know, when Sasuke was still young he spend a couple of years at this hospital. It was at the same time that I started my job here and became a part of the staff. I was assigned as Sasuke's psychiatrist, it was actually my first big case, considering how damaged Sasuke was when he first came here." Iruka explained with a sad smile. After a while he continued.

"Anyhow during his second year of stay I would often find him sitting at the windowsill, looking outside. One day I came up to him and asked what he was looking at, though I really just assumed it's his way to kill time. You know people can get quite bored in here. Anyway I remember he told me that he was looking out for an angel, I really found it funny at that time. It wasn't like Sasuke to say something like that. After a while of observing him though I realized that who he was looking at was you. He would look at you everyday when you went to school. He always said to me that if he were ever to have someone as beautiful as you by his side, then surely his own, long lost beauty would return to him. He couldn't possible stay ugly near an angel." Iruka said laughing lightly. "Really, sometimes I wondered what went trough that kids head. If you only knew though, how devastated he was when one day you were gone, just like that. I was afraid I'll have to repeat my therapy with him all from the very start." The brown haired man said with a sigh. "But overally he was a good boy, only lost, like a lot of us are at some point in our lives. I was really disappointed to hear that he was admitted back here. I really thought we got him cured."

"No, he wasn't cured!" Naruto practically seethed. He knew it wasn't right to vent his frustration on this man, but he had enough of everyone saying how good of a person Sasuke was. Couldn't they see it? Couldn't they see how crazy he was? So what if he thought Naruto was an angel? Angels can't coexist with demons! And Sasuke, being a murderer, might as well be called a demon. As if to stress out his point, he couldn't hold back from what he was about to say.

If you knew anything about his canvases you wouldn't be saying that!" Naruto deadpanned, almost ready do flee from the hospital. Not caring to talk with Sasuke anymore.

"Canvases… you mean he talked to you about that?" Iruka inquired.

"So you know?!" Naruto asked beyond shocked.

"Well yeah actually I was the one who gave him the idea." Iruka said matter-of-factly.

"What?!" Naruto almost shouted, doubt filling him.

"I suppose it might seem a little strange now but back then I really believed that it was what helped him. As you know already Sasuke had self-esteem issues, he was a narcissist but at the same time he despised himself. He hated his whole being, all the time repeating how ugly he was. He couldn't cope with his parents abandoning him because he 'lost his beauty'. I think, being abandoned by everyone he knew, he unconsciously thought that if he'll find his beauty then he'll also receive the acceptance he yearned for. So in order to raise his self-esteem I thought up of an imaginary game for him. He was to pretend to be an artist and even thought, as he believed, he himself didn't posses any beauty, he could teach others how to truly shine and by that he would also surely shine one day just like he did when he was young. It surprised me how much he believed in it and before soon I noticed a vast recovery on his side. Every time he would feel insecure he simply imagined a new personality he called 'canvas' and he mastered it's beauty. When I asked him once what he was doing with all the canvases when they were fully beautiful he said tat he was killing them. I must say I found it a bit disturbing but after consulting it with other psychiatrists we decided that it couldn't be helped. It was Sasuke's way of avoiding being rejected once again. It's as if those canvases which became beautiful didn't need him anymore and so he was afraid he'll get abandoned again. Killing them was thus, in his mind, the only options. But since it was only his imagination and otherwise he showed normal behavior we decide it was safe to let him go. After all you wouldn't believe what things 'normal people' sometimes create in their own world of imagination." He said as if trying to justify their decision.

Naruto was speechless. What the psychiatrist just said was beyond his comprehension. Would that mean that all those things Sasuke said were only his fantasies? That the canvases never really existed? That in the end he had taken away freedom from an innocent man? No, he could not live with that. Why did everything had to be so fucking complicated!? Why couldn't everything be black and white?

He was going crazy, his thoughts killing him. Guilt was eating him alive, like a small, treacherous monster. He had to run, run and never turn back. Never come back here because seeing the man would probably destroy him. Yet just as he was about to run he felt Iruka grabbing him by the arm and almost forcibly push him into one of the rooms. The room number 121.

"I'll leave you to alone but if you need anything just call me, all the time I'll be waiting just outside the door." Iruka said and before Naruto could even realize what was happening, he found himself standing opposite the man he hoped he would never see again.

Sasuke, on his part, seemed uncaring. He was sitting on a small white bed, in the corner of an equally white and dull room. His eyed looked tired and lifeless, just as they did at the day of the trial. He didn't even look at the blonde, looking out the window as if being in his own world, not focusing on anything in particular. It didn't seem like he was drugged like the other patients. He seemed lucid. But it hurt Naruto immensely, seeing Sasuke in such a state. The man who had so much passion within him now resembled a ghost of himself. It was only a shell of the man he thought he might love.

Naruto thought of what a coward he was. A fucking, pathetic coward.

"Um.. Sasuke?" he tried grabbing the other man's attention but it was to no avail.

"So….how are you feeling?"

Was he stupid or what? Asking him how he was felling? How the fuck should a person feel if they were confined to a small, white room till the end of their life.

"So I guess in the end I won." Sasuke said in a low, rusty voice, as if he hadn't spoken for days. Which he probably didn't.

"Huh?" came Naruto's unintelligent reply. Even though Sasuke wasn't looking at him, it still startled the blonde that he even said anything.

"I mean my world view, my beliefs." He replied unemotionally.

"Why?" Naruto asked as usual not being able to control his curiosity, but he tried to be extra careful as to what he said around the raven haired man.

"Think, Naruto, why am I here?" After a moment of silence on the blonde's side he continued, still lifelessly looking out the window. "It's not the question of what I've done or haven't done, but it's what you have thought of that. Ultimately it was not the judge nor the jury but it was you, Naruto, who gave the final judgment. And tell me, was that the judgment of the person who believes that even a drunk man who is wasting his entire life is allowed to be loved?" he asked in a mocking tone, bringing up the words Naruto once said to him. "So tell me Naruto, was that a judgment made by a person who fights against windmills as long as he sees it just, or rather a man who sees everything in black an white, separating people in two categories, those who are redeemable and those who are beyond redemption. Into angles and demons?... Tell me… did you even give me the benefit of doubt?" Sasuke said and the room once again turned silent. Not a sound could be heard.

Naruto couldn't defend himself because what was the point? What Sasuke had just said was utterly true. In a matter of seconds, when the opportunity sprung, he had categorized Sasuke as someone unredeemable, as someone that should not be allowed among 'normal, sane' people. Even though Sasuke definitely had his issues and he knew about that, he showed more than once how he had cared for the blonde. Even if the love of the taller man was a crippled one, it was still love and as such Naruto should have tried and make it right. Instead, however, he abandoned Sasuke just like everyone else did. He called himself an idealist, he used to find hope in hell, but when it came down to making a decision, he proved to be like everyone else. Cold and calculating, thinking only about himself.

"But what was I supposed to think? You told me about those canvases yourself? It was only today that I opened the closet and saw that all of them were blank and…" Naruto tried to somehow defend himself but as soon as he saw Sasuke's reaction to his words he knew it wasn't the right thing to do. Sasuke suddenly locked eyes with him with a look between fury and madness. Naruto knew that look. He once saw it when he admitted to Sasuke that he had seen his medical reports about his illness and the cause of it.

"Why the hell have you opened it! Why the fuck couldn't you have stayed away!" Sasuke screamed at the top of his lungs which alarmed Iruka who was waiting outside. Naruto was sure Sasuke will attack him any minute now so he unconsciously closed his eyes, embracing himself for what was about to happen, however, nothing came. To his utter shock he heard sobbing, which soon turned into wailing. Naruto opened his eyes to see a crying Sasuke, his fingernails scraping the flesh on his arms, making them bleed. The blonde was petrified.

"I'm useless, I'm a nobody! How can I even talk of making you shine with true beauty when I am such an ugly being?" he wailed but before he could do any more damage to himself in came four doctors. Three of them held tightly to Sasuke's arms and body while Iruka gave Sasuke a shot which was supposed to sedate him.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He ran out of the room, away from that dreadful scene.

"Mr. Uzumaki please wait!" he heard Iruka yelling after him, but Naruto continued to run in the direction of the staircase.

"Mr. Uzumaki please, listen to me! If you'll leave him in a state like this, he'll never be able to come out of it. It's like repeating the trauma he had with his parents. I'm begging you don't leave now! If you do he'll feel that you abandoned him because you found him ugly. Please just go there for a few seconds at least, to show him that you didn't leave him!" Iruka yelled now standing in the middle of the corridor, Naruto on the other hand, slowed down with each spoken word. He was now standing before the staircase and although he desperately needed, for the sake of his sanity, to go down the stairs and disappear from this hospital, he couldn't find it in him to abandon Sasuke yet again.

When it was confirmed that Sasuke had been sedated Naruto entered the room once again and what he saw crushed his heart. The raven haired man was lying on his bed, small wounds visible on his porcelain skin. With half lidded eyes he looked in Naruto's way, it looked as if he could only comprehend halfway what was happening around him. He did, however, recognize Naruto.

"You came back? Why did you come back?" he asked as if it was the most shocking of things for him that the blonde had actually returned.

"Teme, why would I go anywhere?" Naruto said but found it unbearably difficult to speak. He felt his voice waver, his throat strained. He tried to be as calm as he could, but in reality he felt like he could break down any moment now.

"Anyhow I just wanted to check on you. I'll be back later ok?" he said and although he wasn't sure whether he'll ever be back he turned around and pressed the doorknob. When he was almost out of the doorway he heard Sasuke ask.

"Naruto… what about the surprise…. you know the one you were supposed to give me today?" he asked, halfway conscious of what he was saying. "You know I was so happy when you told me you'll make a surprise for me. I thought……I wondered how much did you think of me, did you think whether I like this or that? I know it's selfish but I wanted you to have a hard time deciding what I want…. because that would mean… that would mean you spend more time thinking about me and..."

"I…..I forgot to bring it today…b..but I'll bring it to you tomorrow ok?" Naruto said nearly suffocating, his whole body trembling. He saw that Sasuke, content with his answer, closed his eyes and drifted into the drug-induced dreamless sleep.

He closed the door and went to the staircase, his legs too weak to carry him. He broke down in the middle of the corridor, falling to his knees. He started crying, sobbing hysterically, wishing there was someone who could also sedate him, so that he wouldn't be feeling the way he was now.

As he continued to cry in hysterical spasms, the doctors trying to somehow help him, he thought about the time when he used to fight for ideals not even aware of the fact that such devastating emotions could exist. He wished he could be blissfully unaware just one more time, but he couldn't, because he now saw the ugliness in the core of existence and he, was a part of it.

---

For those who are not familiar with books about Don Quixote – he was a hero who one day decided to go and face adventures together with his loyal friend Sancho Panza (who rode on a donkey). One of their more famous adventures is when they fought windmills which Don Quixote sees as evil monsters, thus it has become a symbol of a futile yet idealistic battle.

Anyway are you surprised? Well I am too. I would have never thought it would turn out this way…honestly!

And before anyone starts flaming – it is not the end yet! So don't go all melodramatic on me ;-) Reviews, as always, will be highly appreciated. Hope you liked it!


	10. Movement

Charter 10 Movement

By Kuroi-Urufu

-

I am no longer there,

Did you notice?

-

How, without noticing you entering in,

was I supposed to know that you let yourself out?

...Because it was you, who led me to the door.

-

- canvas-

Naruto woke up covered in sweat, his chest heaving. He was catching air in loud gulps, like a fish thrown out of it's tank. Finally when he evened out his breathing, his mind started to work again. He took in his surroundings, which he was still not accustomed to. For a week now he was living in a small apartment he managed to rent with the little money he earned. Even though Naruto loved living with his father, he decided it was high time to become independent and take a few expenses off of his father's shoulders – constant supply of ramen being on the top of the list.

He looked around, his eyes slowly accustoming to the darkness surrounding him. The digital clock showed 4 am.

"Not again" the blond complained to no one in particular, making a dive under the covers and trying the best he could to fall asleep, even though he new it was futile.

Three months, that's how long it was since he last saw Sasuke and yet, even though on the surface it seemed that he moved on with his life, in reality he woke up every night due to nightmares. Every single night, for the past three months, he's been having the same dream and in this dream he would reply the last day he saw Sasuke over and over again. He would remember visiting the hospital. How the truth of the meaning hidden behind canvases dawned upon him and the way he ran out of the room, breaking down, swearing to himself that he'd never come back to that place again. Most of all, however, he remembered the look Sasuke gave him, the look which is haunting him everywhere at anytime. At that day, the man who was always confident and prideful seemed lost, confused and tired. As if he knew that the whole world forgot about him and the only thing left to do was to wait.

Naruto shuddered breaking his train of thought. Seeing as it was futile to try to fall asleep he decided to get up and take a shower. On his way to the bathroom he took his cell phone, the blue screen showing one unread message. He opened it and skimmed through the text with bored eyes.

_Honey, how about meeting tomorrow at the shopping center? You're free, right? I'm sure the guys would also like to join us. Kisses. xSakurax_

Ah yes, Sakura, he almost forgot abort her…. almost. Though it was actually impossible, seeing as she send him at least ten messages every day.

He took off his pants and went into the shower, the cold water giving him an unpleasant feeling. He vaguely remembered as once, under the shower, he scratched his wrists and arms until they bled. That was after his first encounter with Sasuke, but he also remembered how mad the man had been at him for hurting himself.

"Enough already!" he yelled, water splashing on his body. He didn't want to remember any of this, he wanted to forget everything about Sasuke, otherwise he'll never be truly able to move on. He would be trapped in his head like this, reliving those memories over and over again…. which was probably what Sasuke was doing right now….

"What the hell! Stop it already!" Naruto scolded himself yet again, trying to find some distraction. Sakura for instance, she was a very good distraction. Normally he would think that the girl would never want to talk to him again but apparently he was wrong. After the court case became public, everyone got to now about him being held captive by Sasuke. No one knew the whole truth of course, but it was enough to make his dad traumatized for a few weeks and his friends and girlfriend apologizing to him for not noticing something was wrong. And even though he was not officially together with Sakura, he was damn near close to it. So basically he was back to his old life, the only problem was, he couldn't recognize it anymore.

-canvas-

Naruto managed to somehow make himself busy until seven, which was the time for his daily jogging session. He always liked to start his day with a little exercise thus, putting on some comfortable clothes, he closed his apartment and was soon running at his full speed.

It was already nearing eight and he was still running, though fast walking would be a better term to use as he was exhausted after running so many kilometers. This time he ended his jogging session near a small elementary school on the outskirts of the city. He plumped on a bench with a loud sigh, propping his arms on either side of it. Head tilted back, he was looking at the sky, trying to relax. On the blue, midsummer sky, clouds were moving lazily, as if too tired to stop and oppose the wind but too lazy to go faster. He felt the wind blow lightly through his hair, grateful for the little refreshment on such a warm day.

"You're so stupid and poor no one wants to hang out with you!"

"Yeah, it would be better for all of us if you didn't exist at all!"

Naruto heard some kids scream on the soccer field near the school. He guessed it was just one of those fights kids also used to have back at his school. Every year there would be a person who did not fit the crowd and, kids being kids, they would bully the poor soul. He knew that, eve if he was to help the kid right now, they would just hunt him down later and enforce an even harder punishment on him. Nevertheless he decided to at lest check out the situation from afar, if only to make sure that they wouldn't do anything too dangerous to the poor kid. He stood up and walked a small distance, hiding behind one of the bushes, peering at the scene in front of him.

"Take your ugly face and everything that has to do with you as far away from this school as possible. We don't need trash like you here." The boss of the group shouted with venom in his voice, kicking the small boy who was curled up on the ground. To Naruto that definitely seemed like a good time to step in. He was just about to go out and teach those kids some manners when he heard someone approaching the group.

"Leave him alone you idiots!" he heard a voice call up to them and soon saw a silhouette of a young girl who was hurrying to the scene. Something in the way she was walking made it look like she was uncertain of the steps she made. Only when she reached them, did Naruto notice that the girl was blind.

"Come guys, it's that crazy girl." One said, seemingly loosing interest in their pray.

"Yeah, knowing her, she'll babble everything to the teachers." The boss said, not without casting one last, pitiful look at the boy, who was now trying to stand up. When they finally went away the girl helped him get on his feet, asking whether he was ok.

"Do I seem ok to you? Oh yeah, right, you can't see, can you?" the boy said in a bitter tone, obviously embarrassed by the fact that he had to be saved by a girl.

"Well excuse me for worrying!" the girl puffed her cheeks, hurt by the cold words.

"It's no use trying to protect me, if they won't beat me now, they'll just do it later. If only I wasn't this hideous to look at… I'd be as popular as one of them, I'm sure of it!"

The words the boy had spoken seemed somewhat familiar to Naruto, who was now examining the child's face. Well, he wasn't very handsome indeed, but he wouldn't call him ugly either. His looks seemed rather unique, but for kids at that age unique equaled different and different equaled unacceptable. Naruto wondered though, what the girl's response would be. Meanwhile the girl tilted her head a bit, as if actually examining the boy's features. After a while she said jovially.

"You're not ugly, not at all!" she said, beaming happily. Naruto thought that there was definitely something weird about her. Besides, like that was something the boy needed, some false reassurance and to top it all, coming from a blind girl. Oh the irony of it.

"Yeah, thanks a lot, you can't even see my face. I don't need pity from a blind girl!" the boy yelled and was about to storm off when the girl caught his arm in an awkward manner, not knowing where the boy stood exactly.

"No, you're beautiful because you're ugly." The girl smiled in a peculiar manner and continued.

"It's true, I can't even see whether you're ugly or not, but since you're saying so, let's just assume you're ugly. Now it's also true I'm blind so the only thing I see are images, little portraits of people I create in my head. I know some people call me crazy because of it, but I don't care. It's better than to live in the darkness right? Anyway, I'm rambling here." the girl kept on talking, earning a confused look from the boy, as well as from Naruto.

"So let me summarize the image I have of you. To make it easier, let's compare this image of mine with chest pieces."

"Chest pieces?" the boy asked quizzically, now almost certain that the rumors about the girl being crazy were true.

"So in my imaginary chest set you are the king. I'm sure you want to know why. Well here are the things I know about you from our little encounter – even though you think you are ugly and you're being treated in this horrible way you never give up. You always manage to get up, no matter how hard it gets. You're also brave, never going to the teachers for help, always dealing with it on your own. Last but not least, you have a high sense of honor, which is why you were angry at me because I saved you. Now aren't those the traits of a real king? Now how about those thugs? I tell you what they are, they are pawns. The all look the same way for me – in chest there are a lot of them in the front line, all identical. And what do they do? They move around only one square, left, right, front. I mean puhleas, how difficult is that?" the girl said smiling.

"Now you wanna know the best part? They may not know it yet, but the pawns all work for the king, so don't you forget that!" The girl said with a bright smile, turning away from the boy and once again, with a bit uncertain strides, she walked away in the direction of the school. Meanwhile the boy stood amazed, with a forlorn look watching the girls retreating back. He then looked at his small hand, which was now balled into a fist.

"A king huh?" he said to no one in particular, and with knowing eyes he laughed, the bright smile enlightening his features. To Naruto it seemed as if that laugh was all that the boy needed to overcome his so called ugliness. With silent steps Naruto walked away from the scene, a dry laugh escaping his lips.

"Teme, maybe an elementary school girl would have been a better apprentice, ne?" he said in a somewhat humorous way, desperately trying to get rid of the heavy, nauseas feeling, and that wet liquid which was making his vision blurry.

---canvas----

"Quick, someone, we have a suicide attempt!" an intern yelled in a hysteric voice, for the first time having to deal with such a situation. It's not like it was uncommon in a mental institution, but he did not believe that such a thing would happen on his first day of work.

"What happened here?" a doctor asked frantically looking over the room.

"I don't know, he was like this when I came here." The young man said, looking at the amounts of blood oozing from the man's cut wrists. Weren't any dangerous objects supposed to be removed from all the rooms?

"He might still be alive, check his pulse." The doctor ordered and the young intern soon confirmed a very weak, albeit still steady pulse.

---canvas---

"He's crashing!!" one of the doctors yelled as a once beeping sound turned into a heavy, long one.

"Quickly charge to 200…clear!" he yelled but the deadly sound would not change. Finally for a moment a long awaited beeping sound was being heard, only to turn into the monotonous one.

"Damn he's crashing again! Charge!

---canvas---

Since Naruto had a free afternoon he decided that catching a nap would be a good idea. After all he was heavily lacking in the sleeping department, thus when he was free, he tried to make up for it. Unluckily for him, his cell phone started ringing. Assuming it was Sakura he just wanted to put it on silent mode, but after glancing at the screen and seeing an unknown number he decided against it.

"Naruto speaking." he said stifling a yawn.

"Naruto, I'm really sorry to bother you. This is Iruka speaking." The man on the other side of the phone said, the name making Naruto freeze.

"Why…why are you calling me? Where did you get this number?" Naruto asked getting up from his coach and looking around the room, as if any second now, the man would appear right in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I got your number from the registration slip you had to fill in when you visited our hospital. Anyway I'm calling about Sasuke…"

"Of course you're calling about Sasuke, but guess what, I don't care!" Naruto said in rage. All this time he was struggling to put all the memories connected with the man behind him and now they were forced on him yet again. All the guilt he's been dealing with… it's not like there was anything he could do right now! He could not change what was done.

"Sasuke committed suicide…" Iruka said with an emotionless voice.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, eyes wide opened. This was too surreal, this couldn't be.. All thoughts gone from his head, the only thing he could think about was Sasuke and how he killed himself. No, how _he_ killed him.

"But we managed to save his life. He's still unconscious though." Iruka said after a pause.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me that sooner!" Naruto hollered. At one moment he felt like dying and at the next he get's to know nothing really happened! Though something did happen, Sasuke tried to commit suicide and unless something is done about it, he'll undoubtedly try to do it again.

"Well, I though you didn't care about Sasuke." Iruka said in a cold voice, obviously mad that the blond hadn't visited his patient. After a moment of silence he continued.

"After searching through his room I found a letter addressed to you. I took it so that it wouldn't be read by anyone, I'll give it to you when you come here…. That is, if you'll decide to come at all." Iruka said.

"Yeah, I will come. I'll go right away." Naruto said, even though he knew that it might just be a way to lure him to the hospital.

"But I'm not promising I'll visit him." Naruto added, ending the talk.

---canvas---

"I'm sorry. I came here to get some information about Uchiha Sasuke." Naruto managed to ask while trying to catch his breath. He ran to the hospital all the way from the train station.

"I'm sorry but right now I can't give you any information. Are you related to our patient?" The women behind the desk asked while looking at her nails, obviously finding them much more interesting than the conversation she was having right now.

"Listen lady, I know about the suicidal attempt ok? I was supposed to contact doctor Iruka." Naruto said impatiently, nearly slamming his hand on the receptionist's desk.

"I'm sorry but unless you're family I cannot give you any private information nor contact you with anyone from our staff." She said finally raising her eyes to meet the gaze of the enraged blond. A moment of silence passed before Naruto decided to say something.

"Well, ok, rules are rules, I'll try to come here tomorrow then. Maybe the situation won't be so hectic by then, I mean with the whole suicidal attempt and all."

"Yes please do that sir. I'm glad we reached an understanding. Have a nice day." The girl said, pleased with her negotiating skills. She watched Naruto as he turned around and made his way towards the exit. Satisfied, she return to her exiting task of examining her nails.

Meanwhile Naruto, making sure that the girl wasn't looking anymore, quickly ducked behind the long reception desk and crawling made his way towards the nearest stairway. Checking for one last time that he wouldn't be seen, he made a short run for the staircase.

"Have a nice day my ass!" Naruto mumbled to himself trying to remember where Sasuke's room was the last time he was in the building. The first and only time. He was fairly sure Sasuke wouldn't be there anymore, he was probably transformed to some hospital wing they had here. He remembered Iruka telling him that he was still unconscious. But Naruto wasn't even sure he wanted to face Sasuke, all he knew was that there was some letter left for him, which he was intending to read.

"I'm sorry who are you and what are you doing here?" A man dressed in a white coat asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm looking for doctor Iruka." Naruto responded, startled by the sudden question.

"This is an authorized area, you have no right to be here. Who let you in?" The man kept asking. This surely wasn't good.

"I can explain…." Naruto said afraid that his effort of sneaking into the hospital will be in vain.

"Naruto? You got here quicker than I thought." Iruka said appearing out of nowhere. This was Naruto's lucky day, well maybe saying 'a lucky moment' would be more apt.

"You know him?" the man in the white coat asked, as if he didn't hear Naruto asking about Iruka a moment ago.

"Yes, I asked him to come here so no worries." Iruka waved the man off and asked Naruto to follow him. After a while Naruto started to recognize the way and he was sure that the older man was leading him to Sasuke's room. When they finally reached the place Naruto, after making sure that the raven haired man wasn't actually there, entered that small room. Nothing had really changed in the past three months. The place was still as depressive as it was back when he visited Sasuke.

"Here, you can read it." Iruka handed him the letter he had hidden in one of the pockets of his white coat.

"No one will disturb you, so you can read it here. But the important thing is for you to tell us if there was something that would explain Sasuke's current behavior. You understand that even though the letter is addressed to you and it's private, in order to prevent such things from happening again, we would like you to tell us if there was anything important written there. There might be some clues that would help us answer as to why Sasuke wanted to kill himself."

Naruto merely nodded and as soon as Iruka was out of the room, he sat on the bad and started reading.

_Dear Naruto,_

_The days have become extremely long lately – to an unbearable degree. My existence keeps on moving lazily, with no direction. It feels like I've been put in a cage, in which I keep on looking at people. Sometimes I try to reach them, but it seems there's this grand wall separating me from them. However don't start blaming yourself for my condition for I'm not referring to this hospital. The cage I'm talking about, is a very different type of seclusion, and I've known it all my life._

_You know, I've always dreamed impossible dreams… one of those dreams was to achieve beauty. I foolishly thought that, by just being in the presence of a pure person such as yourself, I would achieve beauty as well. That I would, by some unimaginable means, overcome the barred wall of mine. But how can a repugnant being be accepted among the ideal creatures? Looking back at our conversations, which were a joyful time for me, I can't escape the feeling that all my reasoning was just an inconsistent intellectualization. A mere excuse to make what I believed in, what I wanted to be the truth, at least a bit more plausible. For it seemed logical that every good aspect of this world needed a shadow to define it, and that by defining beauty, ugliness would also be integrated with it. After all, isn't it sadness that defines happiness, once broken promises that define true meaning of a friendship? Would the meaning of love even exist if it was not opposed by hate or indifference at least?_

_But it seems I was wrong. The world that we know, the world of 'now', is ruled only by beauty and it despises ugliness. Of course you cannot make ugliness disappear, but you can try to hide it, and that is exactly what the human kind is doing. They run away from it, try to fool themselves into believing that it doesn't exist at all, therefore I, who was born in the darkness, also become the falsity of this life. This hospital is nothing more than a great rug under which people try to hide the dust in the otherwise perfectly clean room. A huge hiding place for ugliness._

_You simply need to look around you to notice how the ugly side of life has been ostracized. Our modern deities are beautiful models, singers, actors who dictate current trends. They tell you what to like or dislike, narrowing your free choice to a few simplified statements of 'yes', 'no', 'maybe'. But people are satisfied with such an existence, with an existence without ugliness. They dislike films with sad endings or books that require them to think. The world has become a place, where people believe in simple pleasures and if there's an obstacle they eliminate it. You have conflicts with your loved one? Leave them, find someone who'll 'appreciate' you more. You find going to church mundane, become an atheist but start praying on your death bed, remembering the words: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has eternal life. In other words this world, this modern world, has become a place where beauty is worshipped egoistically. By denying it ugliness, we rupture the truly significant meaning it holds. Therefore the world has become a shrine worshipping false beauty, empty beauty. A beauty nursed on diet pills, plastic surgery, happy endings and uncomplicated day to day existence. Beauty only makes you accept things, it is ugliness which makes you question them, which makes you think. _

_Beauty deprived of ugliness is a truly terrifying thing, don't you agree?_

_Like I said, I have always dreamed impossible dreams, one of which, was to be able to be loved by you. But I'm here, behind my barred wall, and you're there, unreachable. Though at the times we were together this wall of mine seemed to transform into a thin glass and I had the feeling that, if I just stretch my arms a little further, just a little further, I'll be able to touch you. But I am not a part of this world and you saw it – I don't blame you for that._

_This world belongs to beauty, it belongs to you, so make the best out of it. But before I part from this place, finally being able to leave my cage, I'll tell you one last thing. I want you to be aware that, in my eyes, your's… is the true beauty…You're not false, you're real… and your beauty as well, holds a meaning to it._

_Sasuke_

Naruto put the letter into his pocket and with shaky steps left the room. He knew what he had to do. Actually he knew it from a long time, but was too much of a coward to realize it. He ignored the shouts of an enraged receptionists as he walked right past her and left the hospital. The sun was already setting, but he could still spot it from behind the large buildings. The vivid, orange rays giving life to the tones of gray the city usually wore.

---canvas----

- 10 days later –

"Please bring forward the man in question." The jury bellowed and one of the policemen went out of the court room. A few seconds later he returned, leading a very confused Sasuke to one of the front benches, reserved for case witnesses. He was still wearing some bandages over his now handcuffed wrists – the remains from his suicidal attempt. Judging from his confused look, he had no idea why he was called to the court again.

Finally their eyes met, Sasuke spotting Naruto on the prosecutor's side. This time was different though, this time Naruto tried to maintain the eye contact, having enough of acting like a coward. It all only added to Sasuke's growing confusion.

Naruto felt relieved in a way. For the past three months everything connected with the man seemed like a persistent shadow, following him wherever he went. The more he tried to get rid of it, the more memories of the time they spent together returned with twice the force. But even though those weren't only good ones, they all made him feel self conscious, causing a dark entity to lodge itself in the pit of his stomach and grow every time he thought of Sasuke. And at every such time, this entity made him feel sick, causing a nauseous feeling.

Most of all he felt guilty. By being scared of what was unknown to him, he sentenced an innocent man and then, being the coward he was, when he saw what he did, he just ran away terrified. But running never solves anything. He kept running every single day, subconsciously thinking that one day, he'll run far enough to actually forget. But every time he started running, he realized that he'd return to the same place, all the time running in circles. That is why this time he had to undo everything that he messed up, even if it meant that, the story he is about to tell will be a little distorted.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you filed a case against present on this courtroom detective Hatake Kakashi and the head of Akatsuki corporation."

"That's right." Naruto said standing up.

"As far as I remember a few months earlier you were the key witness in the trial against present here Uchiha Sasuke. The case was closed but by your personal claim we reopened it, so I really hope you have something relevant to say." The judge said measuring the blond. This didn't surprise Naruto since he was the one accusing the most important businessman in the whole of Japan and the most prestigious detective there was. He would be stupid if he hadn't though it through before filing any accusations against said men.

"Yes Your Honor, I realize it. But I really have something important to say, something that will shed light on what had really happened." Naruto said, trying to calm himself down. Making speeches was never one of his talents. The only good thing was that he hadn't told anything about the case to his friends, not even his father. Knowing media, however, they will all know about the trial as soon as tomorrow.

"Well then we all are very curious us to what you are going to say Mr. Uzumaki." The judge said and looked curiously at the blond.

"First of all I want to confess that my previous statement, the one from the trial which took place over three months ago, was a lie. Sasuke never really held me at his place against my will nor did he abuse me in any way, be it mentally or physically. What's more, the illegal dealings he had been accused of were simply a trap set by the Akatsuki corporation."

"Objection! Your honor, this is absurd. This kid appears out of nowhere and starts accusing my company? In my opinion…."

"But thankfully it's a court room and it's my opinion that counts here. So if you interfere in this trial once again, you may be punished with temporary arrest. Is that understood?" the judge asked raising her voice.

"…yes." The man replied albeit reluctantly.

"Now Mr. Uzumaki I must say this is unheard of. Not only did you just admit that you lied to the court the last time you testified, but you also change your statement completely. Why is that?" the judge asked, her temper rising slowly.

"I'm very sorry Your Honor. I realize it was against law to lie in a court room, but at that time I felt like I had no other choice… because… because I was being threatened by Mr. Hatake and the president of the Akatsuki company."

"Now that is an utter lie!" this time it was Hatake Kakashi who interrupted the trial.

"Mr. Kakashi, I though that as a detective you should know better. Am I to reprimand your behavior as well?" The judge asked irritated.

"No, of course not, I'm sorry." The detective excused himself.

"Now." She said turning to the blond. "Mr. Uzumaki when did this supposed threatening started?"

"Actually it happened just once, not long before the trial. Mr. Hatake, dressed as one of the staff from Sasuke's mansion, went into my room. He then said that unless I testify against Sasuke on the trial, they will hurt my father and my friends. Listening to Mr. Hatake I got really scared because I realized just how many information about me they had. I was afraid to tell anyone that I was being blackmailed, but Sasuke can confirm that Mr. Hatake actually entered my room on said day." Naruto said.

"Is it true Mr. Uchiha?" the judge asked. There was a moment of silence where all eyes fell on the man in question. Naruto looked at Sasuke with hopeful eyes. Actually the only loophole in his plan was Sasuke. He couldn't have contacted him earlier because all the rooms in the mental hospital were constantly monitored. He knew that if he had talked to Sasuke about it, Akatsuki's attorney would certainly find out sooner or later. That is why the only thing that was left to do, was to hope that the sane, logical Sasuke will decide to cooperate with him. After all it was for his sake that Naruto was lying. Besides Sasuke really did walk in on the detective talking to him.

"Yes…." Sasuke finally said, with a bit of reluctance in his voice. "Now that you mention it, I do remember meeting the man in the mansion. I noticed how tense both of them had been when I walked in, but in the end I didn't question it any further." Sasuke said according to the truth.

"May I say something Your Honor?" the detective rose in his seat.

"Yes you may." The judge said looking more and more skeptically at the man.

"It is true I came there at that time, I'm not denying it. But I never threatened Mr. Uzumaki. I don't know why he's making up such lucid stories right now. What I came there for, was to convince him to testify against Sasuke, this much is true. But I knew that he was being held against his will in the mansion and that he wanted the man convicted just as much as we all did."

"Do any of you have evidence for your claims?" The judge asked, silence being the only answer. "Then we have no way of telling what was the actual topic of the conversation you had. Without substantial evidence there is nothing I can do."

"That is exactly what I though as well, therefore for the sake of my family and friends I decided to testify against Sasuke. Of course I felt horrible about lying but at that time it seemed the only reasonable solution. Besides, naively enough, I never thought this would have such far reaching consequences. I didn't know they'd connect the case with some faked accusation of illegal dealings in Sasuke's company." Naruto said.

"And how would you possibly know that those accusation were fake!" the president of Akatsuki corporation yelled, but before the judge had any time to react, Naruto answered.

"The same way I got to know that Mr. Hatake and you were in on this together. When I came back to the mansion after the trial to collect some of my things I left there, I heard an interesting conversation. It was Mr. Hatake and the Akatsuki president talking about how the case was a scam from the very beginning and how thanks to it, the Uchiha corp. will soon be merged with Akatsuki corp. Mr. Hatake also mentioned that for his job he was to receive a large amount of money on his bank account." Naruto explained in detail.

"And who would believe something such a brat says." The boss spat angrily.

"Well actually." This time it was Naruto's attorney speaking up. "We checked the information Naruto had given us. The police confirms that Mr. Hatake received a large amount of money on his bank account. In addition we also discovered that a lot of cases that Mr. Hatake solved in the past also ended in large amount of money being send to his account." The man said making Kakashi pale visibly. "Furthermore we double checked Akatsuki's dealings and in fact it seems that taking over Sasuke's company had been their goal from the very beginning. Those so called illegal dealings with Sabaku Company where in fact a scam. We even have a former employee of Sabaku who can confirm it. " As soon as the man ended his explanations, the court room fell into chaos.

"Order, order in the court." The judge yelled while hitting the hammer. Finally, when all the outraged voices quieted down a little, she said.

"Under such compelling evidence I am forced to change my previous verdict. Also there will be two new cases set against Mr. Hatake Kakashi and Akatsuki Corporation. However, before giving my final judgment in favor of Uchiha Sasuke there is one last thing I have to ask." The judge said making both Sasuke and Naruto freeze.

"Why, if you haven't forced Naruto to stay in your mansion against his will nor harmed him in any way, didn't you object to what he testified during the last court meeting?" The judge asked skeptically, while Sasuke just kept staring at her. After a long moment of silence it was Naruto who stood up.

"You Honor, I believe I know the answer." Naruto said, while Sasuke looked quizzically at him.

"Well then go on, tell us." The judge insisted.

"But the thing is, I really wouldn't like this information to go into public. Is it possible for me to tell it only to Your Honor?" Naruto asked earning a few dissatisfied looks.

"I object, if this is relevant to the case, we have the right to know." Akatsuki's attorney said.

"Well actually, there is this paragraph about protection of private information, so if I agree that it falls under that paragraph I will not reveal it to the public. However, our secretary who takes notes of everything that happens in this court room will also have to know your reason and write it down because I cannot be the only one that knows this matter for it may be seen as subjective. Don't worry though, the written account of this trial won't be seen by anybody unless the case will be reopened, which I highly doubt it will. So do you agree to such terms?" she asked and Naruto only bowed his head in understanding.

He then walked up close to the judge, all microphones turned off, and with the secretary as the only witness, began explaining something to the judge in a whisper. During the explanation the judge kept looking at Sasuke with a very incredulous look. When finally Naruto finished, the woman fell into silence. Sasuke was observing her and for a moment he could swear that he saw some kind of mirth in the judge's eyes.

"I accept the explanation and I will not reveal it as it is a private matter. I therefore close this case and announce that Uchiha Sasuke is to be set free, all charges dropped!"

----canvas----

For a long time Naruto tried to fool himself. He tried to go back to his normal life he had been so fond of before knowing the dark haired man. Was it like this for everyone? Does everyone think they are satisfied just because they don't know the true definition of experiencing life with all of their senses? Thinking about it, Naruto concluded that people indeed had five basic senses. The touch, smell, sight, taste and hearing all created to allow us outer perception, to allow people to experience the world. Lately, however, Naruto concluded there was also this one sense that, unless people knew about it, they could go on living happily without it. But once it is revealed to them, nothing will satisfy them anymore. Naruto was no great philosopher, he didn't know how to name that extra sense and he guessed that perhaps for everyone, this sense differed. He knew, however, that in his case, this sense was simply Sasuke. Because once he got to know that sense, nothing he came to percept was the same, it always had this second, hidden meaning to it. And even though he hated to admit it, he needed Sasuke in a way, because without him, everything just seemed so black and white, devoid of true emotion.

He finally saw the man being escorted out of the courthouse. Clad in some everyday clothes he walked out of the building, looking very out of place. Once the rays of the setting sun hit his face, he raised one of his hands to give some shadow to his light sensitive eyes. Staying for a long time in a closed room could do that to a person. He then made a few uncertain strides and stopped, looking left and right as if not knowing what to do from then on. He finally looked forward spotting Naruto sitting on one of the benches in a small park situated in front of the building. For a while he just kept looking at the blond, as if not knowing whether to approach him or not. Finally with uneven strides, very much unlike him, he crossed the busy street and went into the park. Reaching the bench he sat beside Naruto.

As they were both looking somewhere far ahead, both lost in their thoughts, people kept walking up and down the nearby street while the sun was slowly setting. The world kept moving as they watched it. Suddenly though with a loud heave of breath Naruto sprung onto his feet, becoming a part of the process of movement.

"Well I suppose we should head home." He said as if to no one in particular and started moving ahead, arms raised high, fingers entangled together behind his head. It was only after stopping and looking poignantly at the man who was left behind, did Sasuke realize, a bit startled, that the blond was talking to him.

"Obviously I know that your mansion is way better than my crappy apartment, but it seems it will take some time till you gain it's ownership back and until then I'm kindly offering you a place, so don't be ungrateful!" Naruto said looking at the people rushing down the street, still finding it hard to look straight into Sasuke's eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" Sasuke asked unmoving.

Great, it seemed that at such a moment the man decided to be logical and ask the question Naruto most feared to answer. With a heavy sigh he turned to the man still sitting on the bench and looked into those piercing, black eyes.

"Cause I realized I'm just a pawn, ok? And I believe I can do better, maybe not a king but how about a horse? I think they're cool too! Yeah I definitely have the potential to be a horse!"

"Naruto… what are you talking about?" Sasuke asked furrowing his brows. Suddenly the blond started laughing loudly, startling Sasuke and all the passersby in the process.

"Now I find it a bit problematic, that even a crazy guy can't understand what I'm saying." He said still laughing slightly.

At first Sasuke looked at him almost angrily, most likely not finding the blond's sense humor funny. After a while though he smiled slightly as well, or as close to a smile as he could get.

"I suppose." Sasuke said in a faraway voice, looking at the ground.

"And I guess you did mention something about some walls needing to be brought down." Naruto said in an offhanded manner scratching one of his cheeks, on which the whisker marks Sasuke once gave him were still present. "If you were to ask me, I don't see any walls here, but in case you spot one, just let me know, there's not a wall that would defy my awesomeness!" Naruto said, with a determined look, pointing somewhere high up in the sky. He knew he was acting a bit childish for such a situation, but the fact was that he still didn't know how to act around the taller man and until he'll know how to do it, he's just gonna try his best. That is why he found the courage in himself and with determined strides he walked up to Sasuke and, grabbing his hand, he pulled him a bit forcefully, causing the startled man to stand up. Now they both became a part of the process of movement, just like everyone else was.

Not saying a word they kept walking in the direction of Naruto's apartment, Sasuke a few steps behind Naruto. The blond was not stupid, he knew it won't be easy to understand Sasuke. He also knew about the darkness that resided in the taller man, which from time to time would surface. Sasuke had his moments of logic, ones in which he'd be just like everyone else, but there were also those times when he would even become dangerous. Naruto fully realized the fact that Sasuke was not mentally stable, but he also knew that he was not insane, which for him was enough to try and make it work. Sasuke was different, but in Naruto's opinion it was this difference that made him beautiful. However, before he admits that to the man, there is still a long way in front of them. It'll probably be a path of mistakes and errors, but he'll get there, he was sure of it. They both will.

"I was meaning to ask…." Sasuke said breaking the silence. "What did you say to the judge at the end?"

The taller man was now walking right beside the blond. Naruto looked at Sasuke, his bright, blue eyes filled with mischievousness.

"Well, obviously I told her the truth."

"… which was?" Sasuke said mildly irritated.

"Of course I said that you are madly in love with me and that you were so shaken by the fact that I would testify against you that a mere thing like fighting for your own rights didn't occur to you at the time." He said laughing lightly and to his amazement, even Sasuke found it amusing, smiling a bit.

---

"…..But… it actually was the truth." Sasuke commented offhandedly.

"…I know."

---canvas----

AN. I've got to warn you that there's only going to be one more chapter! Anyway hope you liked it and sorry for my poor English . Oh and please leave a comment… show that you're not a pawn! ^^

Ps. As some of you might have noticed, I edited a little part of this chapter about women getting emotional. Actually this was meant only as a joke and I wasn't really being serious, but seeing as some people got offended (even though hey, I'm a woman too, but what the hell) I decided to edit it…


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